Sugar Daze (english version)

Everybody's Working for the Weekend

2012-01-28T12:09:00.002+01:00

Just two more clients to welcome and I am officially done for the weekend! The past few weeks have been so hectic, I have barely had a chance to see the time pass. In addition to the usual family and cupcake duties, I have had a whole slew of things to work on as I get ready to open up a shop. It's very slow-going and time-intensive; I find in France you have to work twice as hard to get things done.

I can't help but think of the US and my experience apartment-shopping where you better be sure to carry your checkbook on you lest the property be gone before you even get through the door. Or the real estate agents who work so dang hard for their commissions, they will call you about any and every property they think might interest you...or your dog. I have been working with one agent here for a few weeks who for whatever reason cannot schedule more than 1 property viewing per week. It's frustrating to say the least.

On a more positive note, I have a feeling things are going to start getting easier here for cake bakers with this week's opening of the new Cake & Bake shop near Republique. My friend, Lindsey, and I were lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the new space when I stopped by for a fondant fix and chat with the owner, Paul. (Did I mention he happens to be 19 years old! Man, I only wish I had myself as together when I was that age).

You can read more about Paul and his boutique in an interview written by Bryan, my Cupcake Camp partner-in-crime. All this to say I am very much looking forward to having pots of edible glitter, cookie cutters, fondant, food gels, etc. at my disposal rather than lugging them back from the US or UK every time I go on vacation. Wishing Paul a fantastic opening and a bright, successful future!

If you haven't yet contacted me for a Valentine's Day cupcake assortment and want to order, please do get in touch. There are literally only a handful left, though you can tempt your chances to win a box on my new Facebook page.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Baby Love, My Baby Love

2012-01-22T11:08:00.001+01:00

About 5 years ago when my mom and close friend were planning a baby shower for my second, I remember inviting some French friends and relatives who had no clue what a baby shower was. A translation of the phrase doesn't exist in the French language, and neither does the concept apparently. My mother-in-law, who has a long-standing practice of teaching me flowery-sounding French idioms - we often will use an expression in our native language and then ask the other, "but does this exist in your language? What would you say to express that?" was particularly puzzled by the fact that a shower translates to "douche" in French. I postulated that we get the expression because it entails "showering" the mother-to-be with gifts. If anyone has a better explanation, please feel free to let me know.

In recent years, just like the cupcake, it seems the tradition of a baby shower (or bridal shower) has caught on here in France. I have prepared cakes and cupcakes for many of these occasions and this weekend was bombarded with requests from 3 different baby showers! I have to count back to see what was going on about 9 months ago but apparently there was A LOT of love in the air! :P

Pictured here are mini cupcakes from two different boy baby showers. My last client, who is having a girl, and I came up with the COOLEST idea - which was to print pictures from a 3D ultrasound of her baby in the womb on to rice paper and I used those to decorate her cupcakes. Due to the personal nature though of that order, I don't have any pictures to share. But I LOVED doing this to celebrate her soon to be born baby. Best of luck to all the parents-to-be.

Blue seemed to be the theme of the week as I also worked on these I Want (Cotton) Candy cupcakes for a film shoot.

Oh, and let's not forget Nils' blue polka dot 3rd birthday cake and cupcakes!

Lastly, to round all this blue, I worked on a Disney princess themed party this weekend and just loved the results. What do you think?

It's Getting Hot in Here

2012-01-16T18:52:00.002+01:00

The Sugar Daze Valentine's Day gift box is back and better than ever for its 3rd year!

This year, you'll get an assortment of 6 cupcakes dressed up for the most romantic day of the year. The gift box is 24 euros -- find out how you can enter to win a gift box at the very bottom of this post.

Inside the 2012 gift box, you'll find one each of the following:
- La Vie en Rose (pistachio cupcake, rose buttercream)
- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (the classic Red Velvet with its traditional vanilla bean frosting)
- Lovefool (strawberry-champagne cupcake and buttercream)
- Go All the Way (yup, it's back! raspberry swirled cupcake with chocolate buttercream)
- Vanilla Lovers (the name says it all!)
- Mademoiselle Orangette (orange cupcake, chocolate ganache frosting)

You can order yours now:
info@sugardazecupcakes.com (please be sure to indicate the number of boxes you want as well as your preferred pick-up date and time).

For the moment, gift-boxes are pick-up only in the 17th(Courcelles/Wagram) on the 13 or 14 February at the following times:
Monday, 13 February 13H30-16H or 17H-19H
Tuesday, 14 February 13H30-16H or 18H-20H

Note: I'm only making 50 gift boxes this year so hurry up and reserve yours now! Orders will be taken on a first come, first serve basis.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER TO WIN A VALENTINE'S DAY CUPCAKE GIFT BOX FROM SUGAR DAZE.

Every Morning

2012-01-12T19:15:00.000+01:00

When I was in elementary school, we used to go to a skating rink about twice a month and it was my favorite way to spend a weekend afternoon. There was the requisite mirror ball, lots of strobe lights and they played every disco song imaginable. Skating around the rink is one of my most vivid and happy memories memories of this time period; I literally wanted to spend my life there. As I got older, I spent a lot of time at the ice rink - I think my mom had visions of me competing in the Olympics or something cause I took figure-skating lessons several times a week after school. I always loved scooting around - whether on ice or roller skates - and often dreamed of joining a roller derby team, or opening up an old-time diner with waitresses on wheels.

I made this cake for a lucky 9 year-old who was having an old-fashioned skate party today. How cool is that? I hope she and her friends had a blast (and enjoyed their baked goods). I'm just bummed I didn't get an invitation to cruise around the rink with them!

Speaking of skates, and the title of this post, this song has been on my iPod playlist for about as long as I can remember -- I bet you can guess my favorite parts of the video!

It's a New Day

2012-01-10T15:50:00.003+01:00

Happy 2012 to you all! I hope your New Year is off to a good start. I was super grateful to get the chance to spend a week away with my family in London over the holidays. Not so grateful for the stomach bug my daughter, and then my husband, picked up. It was gruesome and I wish there was some way to apologize again to the poor woman that went home with my daughter's undigested lunch thrown up all over her at the Science Museum. I told you it wasn't pretty! We spent a lot of time indoors, and in front of the TV - the kids were hooked on the Disney Channel; I was happy to catch up on some old episodes of Cupcake Wars and find a new obsession: LA Ink.

So, now I'm back in Paris and ready to kick off the New Year with a bang. I have many fun projects coming up this month, including making some cupcakes for a film shoot. I'm trying to make some progress on the store front but it's slow-going. I have yet to hear anything tangible from the owner of the store I made an offer to in early December. It was a solid offer and I am frustrated there hasn't been any real feedback. Last I checked, we were in the midst of a financial crisis but hey, if it's not meant to be, I hope that means there is a better space out there just waiting for me. I'm continuing to pursue the matter - chalk it up to things working differently in France than what I have come to expect back home.

In the meantime, I have created a new Sugar Daze page on Facebook. I really appreciate the fan interaction there and so it's with a heavy heart that I'm moving away from the Little Miss Cupcake page, and the 3200 fans I have amassed there. But I figure if I am going to do this store, I can't risk any more confusion between myself, my business and the CopyCat baker. Time to once and for all, put the past in the past and get on with it. I have a vanity URL that is real easy to remember: www.facebook.com/enviedecupcakes So please do me a favor, and go like me there. And spread the buttercream love by telling all your friends! :P

Joy to the World

2011-12-24T10:17:00.002+01:00

I'm just packing up my last few boxes of cupcake orders for the year. Lucky me, I am now officially on vacation! First up for me is to bake a cake for our holiday dinner at my sister-in-law's house tonight. Yes, it's true, even though I bake almost every day, I never tire of it.But enough about me, this post is for you. Wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy Holiday season! Thanks for all your love and support this year. See you in 2012!

Give a Little Bit, Give a Little Bit of Your Love to Me

2011-12-21T08:13:00.008+01:00

The elves and I (God, I wish there was a team of elves!) are sending out 68 boxes of Christmas cupcakes just like this over the next 3 days to lots of nice little boys and girls in and around Paris. Maybe if you have been very good, you will be getting one! Don't like your chances? Then, leave me a comment below (or on the French version of my blog) telling me the flavor of your favorite cupcake and you will be entered to win 1 of 2 boxes just like the one above!

Note, contest is open to anyone anywhere but you must be able to come pick up your box of cupcakes on 24 December between 10H-12H30 at a Paris 75017 address(metro: Courcelles or Wagram). Please be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you. 2 winners will receive 1 box of 6 assorted flavor cupcakes with holiday decorations. Good luck!

I Got Cat Class and I Got Cat Style

2011-12-17T09:12:00.001+01:00

Well, Hello Miss Kitty birthday cake for a 3 year-old. Hope she loves it as much as I enjoyed making it! Chocolate-hazelnut layer cake with fondant Kitty.

Love Is In the Air

2011-12-17T08:52:00.001+01:00

Butterfly Wedding Cake, a photo by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis) on Flickr.

It may be cold and rainy and grey here in Paris but springtime revisited my kitchen this week as I prepared this 3-tiered wedding cake for a young couple's wedding. The pastel fondant butterflies covered the cake and 170 matching mini cupcakes in the wedding colors. The cake is made of 3 different flavors: top tier - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang red velvet, middle tier - La Vie en Rose and bottom tier - Vanilla Lovers. My sincere congratulations to P & C on their wedding day.

We're Back on the Train, Oh, Back on the Chain Gang

2011-12-04T17:43:00.005+01:00

This past week I had a bit of a flashback to a former life and wow, was it weird. I worked a job for a client who was attending a European food ingredient trade show. I was engaged for 3 full days, most of which were spent on my feet (or stuck in traffic as I did the daily commute out near Charles De Gaulle airport), decorating cupcakes for people who visited their stand and talking up the company. My client has a broad international presence and so they had representatives there from all corners of the world - as far away as China, thought most of them were from Europe. All week long, I heard people babbling in a multitude of different languages - it was pretty cool - and the people I got to know over the 3 days were a really nice bunch.

The experience made me realize that I don't for a single second miss the business side of working in the corporate world. One of the drawbacks of working alone though is that you don't have any co-workers and there's something to be said of the camaraderie you share with them.

I saw some pretty cool stuff while at this show. There were a number of businesses selling all sorts of chocolates, sugar candies, sprinkles, marzipan, vanilla beans and other spices, etc. I had a 20-minute break each day in which I scoured the floor gathering brochures and contact info for potential suppliers for my shop.

I also saw some pretty disturbing stuff. As a mom, I am constantly reading the labels of stuff I put on my table. I obviously am aware that a lot of foods these days are engineered - colors added to make the food look more appetizing, stabilizers to prolong their shelf life, etc. But I also came to the conclusion this week that food manipulation is a lot bigger business than I had thought and there are so many additives going into the stuff we are eating.

I was a bit shocked by the number of bakery businesses that stopped by the stand looking to purchase preservatives and other gums, emulsifiers, etc. Maybe I am naive but for me, cakes are made with things like eggs, butter, sugar and flour - these give the cake their texture, their taste, their appearance....not chemicals. Or maybe it is the years living in France that have spoiled me - I know my baker downstairs has his team arrive every morning between 3-4 to bake up fresh croissants, baguettes, Paris-Brests and the like. I'd be really shocked to learn they were adding chemicals to their baguette to make it taste more fresh or stave off mold and bacteria growth.

I've always been a big proponent of baking with preservative-free, natural, fresh ingredients. I am aware that some of the other cupcakeries in Paris don't. Some use synthetic flavors in their cupcakes rather than using real fruit, nuts, freshly prepared caramel, etc. or they buy pre-made industrial genoise for their cakes. I really think you can taste the difference in the finished product. Now I am not trying to get all militant here - I'm just trying to make a point. On the Sugar Daze menu, I have only one cupcake that is made with a synthetic flavor and that is my Cotton Candy cupcake. I'd love to be able to provide a more natural version of this one day so I can't get off completely guilt-free for the moment! I'll be working on this though - that's for sure!

It was a busy week in addition to the trade show. Pictured are some of the orders that went out. Note: my calendar is starting to fill up for the holidays so if you are planning on serving cupcakes for a Christmas or New Year's party, please do get in touch now.

I Don't Want to Close My Eyes...I Don't Want to Miss a Thing

2011-11-22T17:34:00.001+01:00

Life has taken on a surreal quality lately. I've finally found the courage to advance on a long-time dream, and the next thing I know, all these amazing opportunities have opened up for me. I had a meeting last week to discuss a book about cupcakes with a publisher that just contacted me out of the blue. Today, I met with two lovely young women who are pitching a TV series about life in Paris and they actually wanted to meet me and hear my story to see if I might be a good fit for their cast. Crazy, no? I am just waiting for someone to pinch me and find that this is all a dream. Regardless of the outcome of these projects, I am grateful for the experiences and to everyone I have met who has shown an interest in what I do and encouraged me along my path.

Thanksgiving is coming up this week and so I would also like to say a word of thanks to all of you who check in here to see what I am doing -- to all my friends, my customers, the cupcakers out there, and my family for their support, love and kindness over this past year. How will you be celebrating and what are you thankful for?

In case you're still scrambling for a last minute dessert, here's a link to my family favorite, never-fail pecan pie recipe that comes courtesy of Nick Malgieri. It's what I'll be making for my friends and family this Thanksgiving and trust me, it is delicious! Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Red Light Yellow Light Green-a-Light, GO!

2011-11-16T09:42:00.001+01:00

Wishy-washy, a fence-sitter, indecisive, non-committal...I've been called them all. I am a creature of habit and when it comes time to make a decision about something that will shake up my little life -- committing to a decision, right or wrong, is a source of major angst and stress for me. I weigh the options carefully, I speak to anyone I think may be able to help make me a decision, I'll make lists of pros and cons and then when I finally make up my mind, the doubts and the uncertainty will creep in and I backtrack and start all over. Pathetic, I know. I guess I am just one of those types of people who doesn't like to rock the boat. You know that expression -- If it ain't broke, don't fix it? Story of my life! :)

As many of you know, I saw a commercial space a few months back that I was considering for my business. I have always dreamed of having my own space -- a permanent set-up where I can bake and run classes and just have fun. I've reached a point in my business where this makes sense - turning down orders has unfortunately become too common of an occurrence due to my space and manpower limitations. But I also have my family to think about -- my kids are still on the young side and it's always been a priority for me to be there for them. For the past several years, I've been able to juggle everything as Sugar Daze has been kind of a part-time gig. Running a shop is a whole other ballgame and while I may be mentally ready, I have struggled over how to make this all work without sacrificing my family and personal life.

I've spent months now going over the numbers, trying to figure out how to organize my schedule, talking to other business women who have families and are entrepreneurial. I know it's going to be a very tough road ahead and it'll certainly take some time to settle into a routine but I have finally made up my mind! I'm formalizing my offer on the space tomorrow. It's a huge step for me, and I won't lie, I still have my doubts. But I also know that if I don't do this, I will always wonder "what if?" So, there you have it. Hope you all are ready for the Sugar Daze shop....coming to a Parisian neighborhood near you soon! Fingers crossed and away we go!!!!!!!

Disarm You With a Smile

2011-11-02T21:05:00.006+01:00

Back when me and all my friends were into Madonna and Duran Duran and Berlin (Oh god, Terri Nunn was so cool and she always had the most awesome hued hair), we used all kinds of crazy stuff to add color to our hair, just like our favorite celebrities. My preferred product? My mom's Jolene (wow, did that stuff smell bad) which stripped the pigment from my hair wherever it was applied (and also left my hair dry and damaged beyond belief!)...and then in later years, Sun In. You all remember this stuff? I had a good friend with naturally blonde hair and Sun In gave her these really cool white-blonde highlights. On my chestnut hair, I ended up with these really brassy, orange streaks. I spent an entire summer being taunted by friends who nicknamed me "Pumpkinhead." To this day, I still can't even think of pumpkins without this moniker being dredged up in my memories!

Today I made a cake for a girl who is getting married who goes by the name "Pumpkin." I tried to find out from her friends why they call her this but they just started cracking up so I didn't push it. They wanted a really nice, girly cake on the outside for her bachelorette's party and something a little more colorful and loud on the inside. This was a small 10-person cake with one layer of pumpkin cake and one layer of chocolate cake covered in salted caramel buttercream and fondant. Note, I don't typically do fondant-covered cakes but apparently Pumpkin wanted it and who was I to deny my fellow pumpkin-y friend? Enjoy girls!

I'm Blue.....

2011-10-16T07:38:00.001+02:00

Baptism Cake, a photo by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis) on Flickr.

Chocolate cake for a baptism. Between the layers, a salted caramel buttercream. A vanilla swiss meringue buttercream covers the outside of the cake. Congratulations Aiden and family!

Raise Your Glass

2011-10-14T12:24:00.004+02:00

Fuschia Wedding, a photo by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis) on Flickr.

8-inch praline cutting cake with hot pink gumpaste roses surrounded by a small assortment of the various cupcakes and minis that will make up the wedding tower. Among the flavors: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Caramel Dolce, Berry Berry Good, Roll Over Beethoven and Everything's Coming up Rosie. The colors of the wedding are obviously black, white and fuschia. I couldn't help but listen to Pink the entire time I was baking and frosting these. Raising my glass to the young couple and wishing them a very long and happy life together.

Can You Feel the Love Tonight?

2011-10-04T10:38:00.006+02:00

Phew! It's Over! Cupcake Camp Paris II has come and gone and wow, was it amazing! I didn't get a chance to spend much time at the entrance - it was too busy inside - but I understand some people waited on line for about 30 minutes to come in. Now, that's cupcake love!

All in all we had about 500 people attend. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2500-3000 cupcakes prepared and we raised close to 6000 euros. We'll be making a donation to Make A Wish France in the coming days just as soon as we have all our expenses paid out.

From my perspective, it may have been crowded but the event ran so much smoother than the 1st year.

Nicolette, Bryan and I will be publishing a tandem post to the Cupcake Camp Paris blog later this week but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who baked, attended, judged, gave financial support, donated prizes, volunteered, publicized the event and lent support. I am so so so very proud of what we accomplished and it's heartwarming to know that we will be able to touch so many young lives through our donation to Make A Wish France. Thank you everyone for EVERYTHING and we'll see you again next year!

Photo of my cupcakes up top by Fairy Cooker. If you'd like to see more pictures of Cupcake Camp Paris II, our flickr group is here.

Get Back to Where You Once Belonged : Cupcake Camp Paris II

2011-09-30T07:53:00.001+02:00

You Coming? Vous Venez?

Sunday, 2 October at Le Comptoir Général
80 Quai de Jemmapes, 75010
15H-17H
RDV for a day of cupcakes, cupcakes and more cucpakes!

Are You Ready for Some Baseball?

2011-09-23T14:49:00.001+02:00

Let's Go Tristan!, a photo by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis) on Flickr.

Birthday cupcakes with sports fan toppers for a 7 year-old. I hear he was over the moon when he saw these. :P Happy Birthday Tristan!

Takin' Care of Business

2011-09-18T16:06:00.007+02:00

So, let's see....when I last left off, I was telling you about this space I had seen for my still undecided commercial kitchen/non-commercial bakery/maybe traditional cupcake shop. I visited again with a contractor about 10 days ago and the place was really growing on me. I was starting to feel excited about the prospect of making this my own space and moving in. I'm not a craftsman by any means though I had a rough idea of what construction work would set me back. Until my contractor really started to pull back the layers and take a more profound look around. There are many flaws that are more than skin-deep. I won't get into all of them but here are the top three that I had totally not counted on:

1) The wiring. There's not enough juice in the place for me to install more than 1 oven. And if that was bad enough, apparently the electricity is not up to code and so everything needs to be replaced.

2) There's a monstrosity of a refrigerated pastry case sitting in the middle of what's currently the restaurant portion. It's a freebie as part of the sale. No wonder considering the glass is nicked on one side, one of the doors doesn't close properly and it leaks -- there's water damage on the floor under the evacuation pipes. My original thought was to junk it or sell it piecemeal. Well, when we took a look under it, we noticed the parquet had been cut and removed in order to settle this into the floor. WTF? Who does that? The sad thing is the floor is actually in pretty good condition but both my contractor and a "courtier" who arrived with the real estate agent say the whole floor will need to be redone.

3) The back door looks as if someone barreled into it with a battering ram. The "copropriete" says it needs to be replaced or restored to its original condition. No kidding! Well, would you believe that this was once a double door and at some point someone decided to condemn one of the doors and then built a wall over it. So in order to replace the door, the only way to access the frame is to destroy that wall, take the frame out, put a new door in and rebuild it. Arggh!

The kicker of the whole visit though was during our discussion of installing a "hotte" (evacuation) in the kitchen, the real estate agent disclosed that the "copropriete" has decided that a business causing "nuisances de bruit ou odeurs" will not be allowed. When I heard this, I pointed out that I will be baking on-site and therefore there will obviously be odors emanating from the property. His response: "Yes, but you bake cakes. You won't be cooking with onions or cabbage. You will be making pleasant smells." I didn't even know what to make of this. All I could imagine was doing all the work, spending all this money to set myself up and getting shut down a week later because the building tenants don't like what they are smelling. This is obviously a point that needs to be covered off before proceeding. I'm still hoping I can pull a rabbit out of the hat on this whole thing as the space has such promise. To be continued.....

In the meantime, this past week was insane - I made hundreds of cupcakes for various events, taught a cupcake class out at a company in Levallois and I met with Hard Rock Cafe to discuss a really exciting upcoming project. I was happy for the distraction as my little one head off to school full-time and I was feeling blue about my kids growing up. Here are just a few of the orders that went out this week: LV cupcakes for a birthday party; logoed mini cupcakes for auFeminin.com which were served at the mega fashion show Galeries Lafayette pulled off this past week; cupcakes for the launch of a new association called ProudToBe Entrepreneur, and mini cupcakes for a pre-screening of The Gruffalo movie at Forum des Images (they're decorated with rice paper that show a still from the film.). Have a good week everybody!

Sunshine on My Shoulders Makes Me Happy

2011-09-11T19:04:00.007+02:00

Beauty & the Beast Birthday, a photo by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis) on Flickr.

Today was a cold, rainy day here in Paris. I couldn't help but feel it was the tears of so many gone so soon falling from heaven. Today is a day of imminent sadness and mourning in the US, and my heart breaks thinking about the devastation, the darkness, the emptiness that was left behind. I grew up in NY and the twin towers were an integral part of the skyline to me -- their symmetrical lines and simplicity, a solid mass that just always were.

Then one day the unimaginable happened. I was there when they came crashing down...just like that. Did anyone think it could happen? And as they toppled, the promise of thousands of lives was left unfinished. Lives extinguished for no other reason than because they showed up for work that day. Try as I might, I will never be able to erase the horrific images from my mind.

The sun came out today just as my daughter went to blow out her birthday candles. So much light and love filled the room. I am grateful that on a day of so much sadness, I have a beautiful life to celebrate.

Sending hope, serenity and sunshine to all those whose loved ones were lost on that fateful day.

I'm Coming Out

2011-09-09T12:20:00.009+02:00

A few years back, I had planned to open a cupcake store. I started writing a business plan, I attended several reunions at the Chambre de Commerce and I signed up on a few different real estate sites to get alerts on properties that met my criteria. Then I found out I was pregnant, and so those plans kind of went out the window. In the interim, I started my small business, first as Little Miss Cupcake now as Sugar Daze, and I have watched my two babies grow practically side-by-side. My real baby heads off to school this week and for the past several months, I have been thinking about what this means for my business baby.

If any of you were in France over the summer, you know what a lousy summer it was weather-wise. I was stuck for about 10 days on the West Coast with my kids in the cold and rain with nothing more than a few cable channels and my iPhone to entertain us. One afternoon as I was going through my spam mail, I saw I had received a list of available properties from one of the sites I had signed up with all those years ago and having nothing better to do, I opened it. A quick scan of the properties and 1 in particular popped out at me. Here in France, if you want to rent a commercial space, one of the things you will encounter is the "droit au bail" or the right to a lease -- usually an exorbitant fee that needs to be paid upfront in order to then have the pleasure of paying a monthly rent. This droit au bail....not so bad. And the rent? well, I could swing it with my current revenue as a part-time business. Imagine if I worked more like full-time?

Upon my return to Paris, I called up the realtor and I went to visit the site. It has a lot of promise. Subsequent visits have shown some flaws which are more than skin-deep but we'll see what the contractors have to say. I'm still terribly torn about not being "accessible mom" like I have been for the past 8 1/2 years. I worry that while traveling down this path, I will never see my kids again. In all honesty, I figured this next step was still a few years down the road. But then I saw what I think is an exceptional deal, and my heart told me to check it out. I'm also still debating what exactly I want this space to be....a site with a commercial kitchen? A space where I can offer classes? A traditional store? Time will tell. And maybe this whole thing won't go anywhere. But since I have so many people write me often for advice on starting a business here in France, I thought I would share this adventure with you and try to document the process here. More to come on this!

Lastly, I have reached out to many of you in the business since starting to explore this idea and I just wanted to say an enormous thank you to Jane, Aimee, Rebecca, Liz, Louie, Sam and Sylvie (I hope I'm not forgetting anyone). Your help and advice has been invaluable! And also thank you to Lindsey, Bryan, Meg, Jennifer and Lili -- my friends and cupcake fans! I so appreciate the time you have taken out of your busy schedules to help me and share some encouraging words.

I've Got the Brains, You've Got the Looks, Let's Make Lots of Money!

2011-09-09T06:02:00.006+02:00

Good news! 3 weeks out and we have just over 1500 cupcakes pledged for Cupcake Camp Paris 2! We've just finalized our pricing for the day and I wanted to share that with you.

This year, as a sponsor, the dining network site COlunching.com will be helping raise money for Cupcake Camp Paris 2. By signing up on the site for the event “COCupcaking at Cupcake Camp,” participants can benefit from the VIP GOLD pack. The best part is that for your prepayment of 12.50, COlunching will match your contribution, so for each VIP GOLD pack purchased, 25 euros will be donated to Make a Wish (note: limit 20 participants for matching donations).

The VIP GOLD pack includes an empty cupcake box and 4 tickets you can exchange for 4 cupcakes among the hundreds available. You’ll also get 1 ticket for the tombola - winners will select among dozens of donated prizes like a cooking class at La Cuisine Paris, boxes of cupcakes from Scarlett's Bakery or yours truly, or 30 euro gift certificates from Mathon. But most importantly, VIP GOLD Members have access to the cupcakes 30 minutes before the event opens to the public, giving you first dibs on the best cupcakes and the best tombola prizes. If you want to come later, there will also be a VIP express line that lets you enter immediately with your box ready to be filled. Some great perks,, no?!

Unlike last year where you paid a set door fee, entry to Cupcake Camp Paris 2 is free -- come on in, browse, have a drink if you'd like (available for purchase at the bar). If you want to eat cupcakes though or participate in the tombola, you must buy either the VIP Pack through COlunching.com or purchase a welcome pack at the door. We will be offering 2 different welcome packs inside Le Comptoir Général: silver or bronze.

The silver pack for 10 euros includes:
- 1 empty box for your cupcakes
- 3 tickets to be exchanged for 3 cupcakes
- 1 ticket for a try at the tombola

The bronze packe for 7,50 euros includes:
- 3 tickets to be exchanged for cupcakes or the tombola -- your choice.

Once you have purchased a welcome pack, additional cupcakes and tombola tickets will be available for 2 euros each. Empty cupcake boxes will be available for 1 euro, but again a welcome pack must be purchased before any cupcakes can be consumed.

So get ready to eat some cupcakes and help us raise some dough for Make a Wish!

In the Mood for Love

2011-09-02T13:54:00.001+02:00

Something Romantic, a photo by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis) on Flickr.

6-inch Chocolate Squared layer cake with gumpaste heart bow. Ordered for a "romantic"weekend. I Love Paris!

Where Have all the Flowers Gone?

2011-08-28T19:22:00.002+02:00

Ranunculus Ruffle Cake, a photo by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis) on Flickr.

This was a very last minute (like I made everything including the gumpaste ranunculus in under 6 hours) cake for a baptism. It's rare that I would scramble like this but I had a bit of a sob story from the parents whose daughter was being baptized concerning the flaky baker they had originally hired to make this. There's been a recent spate of ruffle cakes circling the net (probably thanks in part to the very talented Maggie Austen) and I thought it would make a quick and simple design for this chocolate layer cake. Congratulations to Sophie and family on this special day!

Guest Post - Star Bakery

2011-08-20T12:01:00.000+02:00

The final guest post in this summer series is from Liana from Star Bakery in the UK. I have followed Liana on flickr for some time and she is by far one of my favorite cupcake decorators on this side of the pond. On really, really, REALLY good days, my cupcake decorating comes out almost as perfect as hers. If only Liana could guest decorate in my kitchen some day, I could learn a thing or two! Take it away, Liana....

My name is Liana and I am a sugar addict. There, said it. I suppose this confessional should lead to some sort of relief on my part but it doesn’t. Why? Because I’ve known this and have been confessing this very truth for a very long time...
I’m the owner of Star Bakery in Nottingham, England and as a result am surrounded by the gooiest, sugar loaded, candy coloured treats on a daily basis. I started my bakery back in 2009 and after a fabulous career in Marketing and Communications, and being mum to two fab boys, I can honestly say I think I’ve found my niche in life.
This job is definitely the toughest job I’ve ever done and if you don’t fancy icing sugar laden houses and 3am finishes then please keep moving BUT anyone that bakes for a hobby will know the joys of baking from scratch and getting to indulge in the fruits of your labour.

Being constantly surrounded by sugary temptation does nothing to curb my sweet tooth and so I thought I’d share with you the one baked treat that satisfies my sugar craving and leaves me with a caramel induced contentment that lasts for days.
This recipe is often referred to as Millionaire’s Shortbread of Caramel shortbread and is based on a recipe from Nigella Lawson I came across on the internet – with tweaks!

Shortbread
175g unsalted butter
225g plain flour
75g caster sugar
Vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Caramel topping
200g unsalted butter
397g/1 can sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate topping
250g milk chocolate
1tbsp butter/golden syrup

8x8” tin lined with greaseproof paper
Preheat the oven to 170 C/gas mark 3/325 F
Put the flour, sugar, vanilla and salt into a bowl and rub in 175g of cold butter, clumping the dough together to make a ball. Press this shortbread mixture into the tin and smooth it down with the back of a spoon. Prick the surface with a fork and cook for five minutes, then lower the oven to 150C/gas mark 2/about 320F, and cook for a further 30-40 minutes until slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let it cool in the tin completely before adding the caramel topping.

Melt the remaining 200g of butter in a saucepan then add condensed milk. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time, and then reduce heat and simmer for 5-6mins until the mixture has turned a golden brown or thickened slightly. Take off heat and pour over the shortbread base and leave to cool.

Melt chocolate in your preferred way i.e. microwave or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and add butter of syrup to add shine to your chocolate. Once melted pour over cooled caramel topping and allow to set at room temperate so the chocolate doesn’t go dull. This recipe makes about 16 generous pieces but this varies depending on how you cut your shortbread!

I hope you enjoy this recipe, it might seem like a lot of hard work but I take it in stages and making the caramel is very soothing so ideal for that post-dinnertime wind down before the ‘joys’ of the children’s bedtime kick in...

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

2011-08-18T11:29:00.005+02:00

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!, a photo by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis) on Flickr.

Even though I'm officially on vacation, I have a hard time shutting off when it comes to making sweet after-dinner treats! I have limited baking facilities so have had to adapt someof my favorite recipes for simpler execution. This is a no-bake cheesecake that is super fast and easy to prepare. Here's what you need:

For the Crust:

1 sleeve of tea biscuits, graham crackers, chocolate cookies or whatever you want to make your crust with (about 20 cookies)
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsps sugar

1) Place cookies inside a plastic bag. Using a rolling pin or if you're like me and don't have access to one, the bottom of a skillet, bash the cookies until you have a very fine crumb.
2) Pour into bowl, add butter and sugar and stir to mix.
3) Using the back of a spoon, flatten crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a shallow round baking pan or springform mold (8 inch).
4) Store crust in freezer about 10 minutes while you make the filling.

For the Filling:
3 packages Philadelphia cream cheese
200 ml whipping cream
1 cup sugar
juice from 1 lemon
4 large squares from a chocolate tablet (I used Perugina dark)

1) Whip cream until soft peaks form and set aside.
2) Using the back of a fork, mash cream cheese in a large bowl, add sugar and lemon juice and stir to combine.
3) Mix in whipped cream until you have a homogenous, creamy filling.
4) Spoon into crust and smooth with a spoon or fork for a flat surface. Reserve in fridge while you melt the chocolate.
5) Melt chocolate squares in microwave for about 60 seconds or until smooth.
6) Drip chocolate in dollops over the surface of the cheesecake. Drag the tip of a sharp knife over surface of the cheesecake in figure 8's for a decorative pattern.
7) Leave cheesecake in fridge at least 10 hours or overnight to set. Serve and enjoy!

If you have any simple, no-bake recipes you'd like to share,please do so in the comments section!

Guest Post - Fields of Cake & Other Good Stuff

2011-08-14T12:01:00.005+02:00

This is the 3rd installment of guest posts where I've asked some of my favorite blogger/bakers to share a recipe. Have you been enjoying them? And better yet, have you tried out any of the recipes? Today's post comes from Carrie of Fields of Cake & Other Good Stuff - we used to compete in the Iron Cupcake Challenges and I was always wowed by her amazing flavor combinations and drool-worthy food photography. I'm so happy Carrie agreed to share one of her recipes here and all I can say is get ready to be swept off your feet too! Here goes.....

This has been a wacky summer. Some days have been rainy and cold, some super hot and humid. There hasn’t been any real, long stretch of one or the other, just a yo-yo type thing. I have been crazy busy with wedding cakes and cupcakes, taking care of my boys, going to conferences and workshops, entertaining guests….but one thing I would NEVER miss, is helping out my friend Cat and getting to do a guest blog for her! I was SO excited when she asked me. What an honor!
She asked for something light and summery and I dreamt of light lemon cupcakes, fluffy strawberry cupcakes, delicious vanilla cupcakes, airy cotton candy cupcakes, but in the long run I was crazy busy and decided to share a favorite of mine from my blog from a while back but I revised just a bit to make it a little more fun.
Thanks Cat for your patience and love. You are awesome!!
So without further ado….

Almond Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes!!!

Macerated Strawberries

• 2 lbs. fresh strawberries washed and diced
• 3 Tbsp. Chambord
• 3 Tbsp. Amaretto
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
In bowl combine all ingredients and refrigerate for 1-3 hours.
* Puree half of the mixture some for the buttercream and some to mix with the rest of the strawberry mixture.

Almond Vanilla Cupcakes (adapted from Warren Brown's Cake Love)

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 2 ounces potato starch
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder (1 tsp at high altitude)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup half and half (1 cup + 2 tbsp. at high altitude)
• 2 Tbsp. Amaretto
• 1 Tbsp. Vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter (room temp)
• 12 ounces sugar
• 4 large eggs (5 at high altitude)
Sift the flours, potato starch, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.
Combine half and half, Amaretto, vanilla extract and almond extract in a large measuring cup and set aside.
In bowl of standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on the lowest speed for 5-7 minutes.
With the mixer still on the lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add the dry and wet ingredients alternating in 3-5 additions. This should take no more than 60 seconds total...you don't want to mix too much.
Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl remembering to get the bottom of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 20 full seconds to develop the cakes structure.
Portion evenly into 24 cupcake papers. Bake for 22-25 minutes at 350 degrees. I find I need to bake mine a whole 25 minutes or they shrink from the sides. They should be a nice dark golden brown on the top, don't worry these are moist cupcakes...amazing! It is now my "go to".

Fresh Strawberry Buttercream
• ¾ lb. unsalted butter (softened)
• 1/2-3 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 cup strawberry puree
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 cup macerated strawberries
Beat butters and instant pudding mix in mixer until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes or so. Turn mixer to low and slowly add the puree and then the cream. Beat for another 3 or 4 minutes. Fold in the macerated strawberries ( I found I kinda had to beat them into the buttercream to get it all to come together once adding the strawberry chunks, but don't worry...it's worth it)

Vanilla Bean Buttercream
1 lb. unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 pkg. french vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup (or more to suit your tastes) powdered sugar
In mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter and vanilla bean seeds until smooth and silky. Turn the speed to low and add the pudding mix, when it is all incorporated, slowly add the cream, a little at a time. When fully incorporated bring speed up to high and beat for 5-7 minutes. Turn speed back down to low and add powdered sugar by Tbsp., tasting along the way. When it is sweet to your taste, beat again at high speed for a good 5 minutes to really break down any graininess that you might get from the powdered sugar. Bring back down to low speed and beat for a while that way to get rid of air bubbles.

To assemble these delicious morsels...follow these instructions
• cut a cone in the top of each cupcake..I made mine fairly large to accommodate more strawberries..yum!
• put about a half teaspoon of buttercream into each cone then top with chunks of macerated strawberries and more juice, place the cone cap back on top.
• Pipe the vanilla buttercream around the outer edge of the cupcake and fill the hole in the center of the buttercream with the strawberry buttercream. Ta da!!!

For Jennifer & Mikey Perillo - Peanut Butter Pie Friday

2011-08-12T02:05:00.004+02:00

Ironically, it was because of my husband that I first discovered Jennifer Perillo's blog: In Jennie's Kitchen. For those of you who don't know me, I started a custom cupcake business about 3 years ago and it has been a crazy busy ride. I rarely bake recreationally anymore, or for my family as my husband often laments. About 8 months ago, I declared I would no longer work on Sundays -- so I would have at least one day off a week to spend some good quality family time. And I've picked up the practice of baking for them again -- usually chocolate chip cookies which is one of my husband's favorite treats. We have differing opinions on what makes a perfect chocolate chip cookie; I've made it a personal quest to find the best recipe and have tried about 3 dozen so far. Jennie's chocolate chip cookie recipe came up on one of my searches, and I bookmarked it along with about 12 others I have been meaning to come back and try. Hers calls for molasses, a hard to find ingredient in Paris and not something I keep in my pantry.

Over the course of the past few months, I've revisited Jennie's blog on many occassions. She has a direct and honest writing style I find endearing and the recipes I have tried from her blog have always garnered rave reviews. She once thanked her readers as being "a ray of sunshine" in her life and that is exactly how I have come to think of her. I've never met Jennie but sensed she was a kindred spirit and I enjoyed following along her comings and goings while she shared so many wonderful recipes and techniques.

Just like me, Jennie's a mom to two young kids aged 3 and 8. Like me, she is constantly striving to balance her personal and professional lives. Like me, she is passionate about food and often reminisces about touchpoints in her life and people who have influenced her as she cooks on her blog. She lives in New York, my hometown. And like me, she had settled down with a hard-working man who took his responsibilities to heart -- often working long hours and bringing the stress and the demands of the job home with him. The Mr. as she commonly referred to him. Mikey as I have come to know him this past week. A post for chocolate snaps, where she recounts one of her first dates with Mikey, her partner for life who loved and supported her in everything she did, brought a tear to my eye when I originally read it this past winter. The sentiments expressed there are so much more bittersweet given the events of this past week.

Like many in the food community, I learned the devestating news via Twitter. Jennie's Mikey, the love and light of her life, had tragically and unexpectedly passed away. There are things that happen in life that are inexplicable and just so unfair. This is one of them. A man loved by his family and so many others suddenly cut short in the prime of his life. Like me, I am sure Jennie expected her husband to be there at her side for decades to come -- to watch their kids head out into the world and forge their own way, to experience all the ups and downs that life threw at them, to love and laugh and to grow old together. My heart is overflowing with sorrow for Jennie and her kids. For all the sadness they are dealing with right now and for all the years to come without Mikey.

In her latest blog post, Jennie shares Mikey's favorite recipe -- Creamy Peanut Butter Pie, and invites the world to celebrate his life by baking one and eating it with someone you love. For me, making this pie was a small labor of love. We are currently on vacation (something Jennie and Mikey were to do in just a few days!) All I had to make this recipe with was a small cake tin and a mixing bowl. No scales, no measuring cups or spoons, no real oven - that's all back in Paris with my nephew who is housesitting for us! I actually used an empty Peroni beer bottle in lieu of a rolling pin to smash the biscuits to pieces for the crust. And I consider it a minor triumph that I was able to find the ingredients I needed to make this in a foreign country where I don't speak the language. I did however modify the recipe; there was no peanut butter to be found in this small coastal village, and more importantly, my husband actually hates peanut butter (he's French after all!). Given the circumstances, I loved that Jennie's pie is no-bake and so I stuck with something just as easy to prepare by swapping out the peanut butter cream filling for cheesecake filling. Cheesecake is one of my husband's favorites. I didn't think Jennie or Mikey would mind.

I'll be eating this pie with my family tonight -- the family I don't tell often enough how much I love them or how important they are to me. I will savor each bite as I express how grateful I am for the love and life that I have, and I will think of Mikey and all that he has left behind. May his memory and light live on in Jennie, in their two beautiful daughters, in their friends and loved ones, and in his favorite dessert: Peanut Butter Pie. Here's Jennie's recipe so you can make and share one with the ones you love!

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie
Originally published by Jennifer Perillo at In Jennie's Kitchen
Serves 10 to 12

8 ounces chocolate cookies

4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup creamy-style peanut butter

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well. Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use. Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar. Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream). Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan. Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

Guest Post - Liz's Cupcakes

2011-08-06T12:01:00.000+02:00

The second in my summer series of guest posts comes from Liz, the owner of Liz's Cupcakes in Nafplio, Greece. Liz and her husband opened shop a little over 6 months ago and are already creating a cupcake craze in their town. Liz shares with us her "Greek inspiration ― Olive & Ouzo cupcakes"! Take it away, Liz......

When Cat asked me to do a guest post for Sugar Daze I thought it was a great opportunity to play around with a couple of ideas I'd been having for new cupcake flavours. I thought about Greek products that might go well in a cupcake and might go well together.

Some of the ingredients I had in mind were figs, olives, brandy and ouzo.

I've had this jar of sweet olive preserve for a while now and I've been thinking of a good way to get them into a cupcake. Here in Greece it's very common to make a sweet preserve of various fruits and vegetables even.

It's not jam, marmalade or jelly but fruit or veg that is sometimes blanched and then stored in a sugar syrup. Depending on the fruit it can be boiled in the syrup or separately. You can get all the popular fruits such as cherry and grape and also more unusual things, such as baby egg-plant, all in sweet preserve form. They are often served on a small saucer, just a spoonful and are considered a healthy treat. They are fat free but are full of sugar!

In the photo below we have sour cherry on the left and my olive preserve on the right:

The thing that I admire about the women who make 'spooned sweets' as they're often referred to here, is that it totally encompasses thriftiness. Not a thing goes to waste. The abundance of fruit and vegetables from the trees and gardens can be preserved in sweet form for months.

Sweet Olive preserve is not widely available in Greece, well not at the supermarkets anyway, you probably have to go to a shop that specialises in sweets and other Greek produce. I get mine from a wonderful local shop: Melokipos (Honey garden).

So anyway... I was thinking that olives and figs together would be a very unusual concept but in the end I realised that the cinnamon and clove that are in the preserved olive just wouldn't work together so well.

I'd already soaked some dried figs in brandy overnight so in the end I made a simple batch of plain cake adding the finely chopped olives to half of it and the finely chopped brandy soaked figs in the other half.

I often use the simple recipe of 100g flour, 100g sugar, 100g butter & 2 eggs recipe when I'm doing experimenting. I can tell afterwards if I need to change the recipe to get it more or less moist, it's a good starting point.

There was a delicious smell in the kitchen as they were baking! For the frosting I made a simple buttercream; for the olive cakes I added some ouzo and for the fig cupcakes I added some brandy.

Findings: The Olive & Ouzo cupcake was really good and I'm not even an olive fan! Alex thought it was a little dry and maybe it could have done with a slightly more moist cake. The ouzo in the frosting is very interesting. You can barely tell it's there and then right at the end you get the slight taste of aniseed.

The Brandy Fig cupcake was divine too. I'm partial to figs so I knew this one was going to be my favourite.

I can't wait to try something similar when the fresh figs are in season, towards the end of summer. I also think that some cocoa in this cupcake wouldn't go amiss. It won't be too painful to have to do some more experimenting!

Guest Post - Java Cupcake

2011-07-30T12:01:00.002+02:00

Welcome everyone to the summer series of guest posts at Sugar Daze. I wanted to invite some of my favorite cupcake bakers from around the globe to share a few recipes while I'm away and I'm very excited to introduce you to them. Each Saturday through August 20, you'll find a new guest post here. Today Betsy of Java Cupcake (a Washington native recently relocated to Germany) shares a delicious banana cupcake recipe with us. Then it's on to Greece with Liz of Liz's Cupcakes on August 6. Carrie of Fields of Cake and Other Good Stuff in Maine drops by on August 13. And lastly we'll hear from Liana of Star Bakery in the UK as our final guest on August 20. Thank you ladies for sharing these scrumptious recipes with us and without further ado, here's Betsy....

Hello fans and friends of Sugar Daze! I am so excited to be doing a guest blog post for you today! My name is Betsy Eves and I’m the owner of the cupcake blog, JavaCupcake.com. Along with my friend Jenn, we write about our adventures in cupcake baking and of course cupcake eating! Currently, the Army has moved me and my family to Germany where we get to travel, try new food and dessert, and of course search for European cupcakes! I also write for the #1 cupcake blog in the world, Cupcakes Take the Cake! So in my world, it’s all cupcakes, all the time! You can read more about my cupcake adventures on my blog or you can find me on Facebook or Twitter!

When Cat asked me to do a guest post for you, I just knew I had to come up with something fantastic. I took a recipe I already had on my blog for banana cupcakes and doctored them up to make them even better. What I had before was awesome… but these, these are AMAZING!!!

These are a banana cupcake with chopped mixed nuts and chocolate chips topped with a rich cream cheese, peanut butter and honey frosting, more chopped nuts and a banana chip. It’s like a flavor explosion in your mouth! I hope you all enjoy it!

Tschüss!

JavaCupcake’s Banana Goodness Cupcakes
Makes 3 dozen cupcakes

Cupcakes:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
5 large ripe bananas, mashed
4 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp banana extract

1 cup finely chopped mixed nuts
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. In the well whisk together the melted butter, mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla extract. Continue with a spatula to combine the wet with the flour until incorporated. Blend only until incorporated. Do not over mix.
4. Gently fold in the nuts and chocolate chips.
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1-8oz. package of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup peanut butter (creamy/smooth, not fresh ground)
½ cup honey
5-6 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
Mixed nuts, finely chopped for garnish
Banana chips, for garnish

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, peanut butter, honey and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
2. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and combine on low speed until incorporated.
4. Pipe frosting with a large star tip, sprinkle with chopped nuts and top with a banana chip.

If We Took A Holiday.....

2011-07-30T08:24:00.002+02:00

Vegan Birthday!, a photo by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis) on Flickr.

Well cupcake fans, I am out of here for a little R&R! Hope you enjoy the rest of your summer. I'll be back 22 August.

In case you've missed it, Cupcake Camp Paris returns on October 2nd. Baker registration is now open on the blog.

Check back here during the break for my summer series of guest posts from bakers: Java Cupcake, Fields of Cake & Other Good Stuff, Liz's Cupcakes & Star Bakery.

Hello, Goodbye

2011-07-25T08:30:00.011+02:00

I'm sure many of you have come here today to see if you won my birthday cupcake contest and I'll get to the winners, yes, that's right I said winners with an "s" in just a few minutes.....

While I have your attention, I thought I would take the opportunity to thank you all for an incredible year. (The end of July feels more like the wrap up of the year to me as so many friends, clients and businesses take a little time off for summer holidays versus December which is one of my busiest times.) I cannot thank you enough for your support and patronage - looking back over this past year, I had orders almost every single day and finally had to self-impose a "no orders taken on Sundays" policy halfway through so I too could have a day of rest. Despite all this, I have had to turn down a lot of orders simply because I cannot keep up with the demand and frankly, that's one of the hardest parts of the job. I appreciate those of you who placed your orders far enough in advance so I didn't have to stress about fitting you in. And I am grateful for the patience from those of you who I couldn't squeeze in - I hope you'll try me again.

My youngest heads off to school full-time in September and I'm going to be taking a hard look at how to grow my business. Sugar Daze turns 3 in October and this little adventure has been even more successful and satisfying than I could have ever imagined. I absolutely love being able to wake up every day and bake knowing that my cupcakes are spreading joy and a little piece of Americana across France. I've reached a crossroads and I'm really excited about the prospects ahead. I have a lot of ideas on the table and for those of you who have asked if there will ever be a Sugar Daze store, the answer is, "I'm considering ALL my options right now."

On to the cupcakes.....there were so many excellent ideas submitted for my birthday cucpakes. Thanks you guys for rising to the challenge! I had an awesome birthday fete and the cupcakes played a big role. Note that a lot of you submitted flavor combinations that already exist on the Sugar Daze menu and since I was looking for something different and that I hadn't made before, a lot of them were ruled out by default. Sorry, Charlie!

What did catch my eye? An idea from Dom which was a coffee flavored cupcake, with a salted caramel center and cream cheese frosting. Simple, and a flavor combination that just sounded so right. I topped these with a little shake of cinnamon and cocoa powder and they were delicious! Thanks Dom! You got 1 dozen on me whenever you feel like claiming them!

And because I had such a hard time deciding amongst all the contributions, I decided to pick a second variety -- this one a little more daring and something I probably would never try on my own. A banana cupcake with a strawberry jam center and a mint buttercream. I also added some white chocolate into the frosting to temper the strength of the mint. This cupcake was familiar yet exotic at the same time and worked in an interesting way. Thanks Paradox7! You too have 1 dozen of these to claim whenever you need a little sugar daze.

So that's that. I'm outta here on a real vacation from 1-22 August and probably won't be answering my emails until my return. In case you haven't heard, Cupcake Camp Paris will be back for its second edition October 2 at Le Comptoir General on the Canal St Martin. We'll be raising money for Make a Wish France this year and Sugar Daze is proud to be an official sposnor of this event. You can find out more about Cupcake Camp Paris II here and RSVP to attend here.

Wishing you all a devilishly sweet summer and see you back here in September.

Xoxoxo

What a Day for a Birthday

2011-07-06T10:30:00.000+02:00

It's that time of the year again. My birthday is coming up at the end of this month. At my age, this is an event that I'd like to see quietly pass me by but my kids won't let me forget. So I figured why not ask you all for an extra-special gift to boost my morale? Here's the deal....I want you to invent the cupcake I will eat at my birthday party. Leave a comment below nominating at least 2 ingredients (maximum of 4) like bacon and maple syrup; or pear, cinnamon and chocolate, and I will pick one ingredient combination to whip up my special birthday cupcake. To sweeten the deal, if I pick your ingredient combination, I'm going to make you 12 cupcakes of the same variety!

Contest ends Sunday July 17 and is open to anyone anywhere but you have to be in Paris to pick up your cupcakes. You can enter as many times as you'd like. Winner will be chosen entirely at random by me and my cupcake cravings! The winner's cupcakes will be available for pick-up starting 28 August and offer valid for 1 year. For duplicate ingredient nominations, the first person who suggests the combination wins. The winning cupcake will be revealed the week of July 25.

Thanks for playing and looking forward to a tasty sweet treat for my birthday this year!

Oh Say Can You See?

2011-07-04T14:05:00.003+02:00

Happy July 4th everyone! This is (along with Halloween & Thanksgiving) one of my FAVORITE American holiday. It always makes me a little blue to spend it in Paris. But thankfully, I have a lot of expat friends (and some Brits to boot!) who are just as sentimental as I am and who like to join me in some patriotic festivities. As in years past, we'll be meeting up at our local park with the kiddies and all sorts of sweet and savory snacks to share. And you can be sure we'll be dressed up in red, white and blue! Who says we can't do the 4th in style in gay Paree?

I'll be missing the BBQs and of course the fireworks in the US today but am happy to be sharing some good old American treats like these red velvet whoopie pies and cupcakes baked in cones (something I have always wanted to try). Enjoy your 4th wherever you may be.

School's Out for Summer

2011-07-03T11:08:00.000+02:00

Goodness me! Where does the time go? My youngest, who I swear was just being swaddled in her baby blanket a few months ago, will be 4 in September! And I have another birthday looming on the horizon (check back here next week for a related cupcake giveaway) myself! Another school year has just ended and we are soon going to be heading into vacation mode. I love this time of year - the long days of dawdling around at the parc, exploring Paris, passing evenings on warm cafe terraces and the anticipation of getting out of town for a bit, changing the scenery and just enjoying family time.

Unfortunately the end of the school year also brings with it the usual round of goodbyes to families who will be leaving our city. This is one of the biggest drawbacks of having kids in an international school. We meet people, make friends and then 2-3 years later they are gone, moving on to another exotic location or heading back home after an assignment abroad. At this point my son has become kind of hardened to these types of departures and I guess just views them as a part of life. My little one on the other hand hasn't quite made sense of why some friends who were once part of everyday life suddenly vanish and has had a more difficult acceptance of these comings and goings.

We have several friends moving on this summer. It's hard to see them go. We wish them luck settling into their new homes and look forward to hearing about their adventures in various corners of the world (a special shout-out to my friend JS who is moving to India with her family!). And of course hope they'll be back at some point down the road to visit.

In this post, pictures of cupcakes made for families heading to Colorado, NY and LA, India and London.

I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues

2011-06-18T06:39:00.002+02:00

I'm about to run get another wedding cake prepped but wanted to share some pictures of the cake and cupcakes I made for a wedding in the country yesterday. I was hired by Kim of Parisian Events who is a real doll and what a professional! If it's your dream to get married in France, Kim is your girl. One of her specialties is cutting through all the red tape for foreigners who want to tie the knot in the City of Light. See her featured here in a recent issue of the New York Times Magazine.

The inspiration for the theme of the wedding was peacocks. And Kim had a clear vision of what she wanted the desserts to look like. I replicated a contrasting teal/green color theme Kim had seen on some cupcakes created by Coco Cakes. And because I loved the effect so much, carried it over to the cake which was also covered in simple rose swirls. Looking at it, I was taken back to the funny swim bonnets the ladies used to wear in the '50's and '60's. The cake and the cupcakes are simple Vanilla Lovers.

Here's a shot of the set-up I took off of Kim's Instagram account. I'm looking forward to seeing more photos of the happy day!

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days!

2011-06-12T11:17:00.002+02:00

Here are a few pics of my favorite creations this past week. I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend!

6-inch Vanilla Lovers cake with sugarpaste Lucky Luke

Rainbow cupcakes - I saw these last week on pinterest.com and thought they'd be perfect for a BBQ we went to yesterday. So simple to make and the kids ADORED them!

Wakka, wakka, wakka. These were part of an assortment made for a wedding tasting. The theme of the reception is video games and role-playing. I did love Pacman back in the day!

We Jammin'

2011-05-30T08:10:00.001+02:00

Hey Mon Rasta Cupcakes, a photo by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis) on Flickr.

Hey mon, check out these rasta cupcakes made for a cool birthday bash. Storm and Almond-Cherry cupcakes with handmade sugarpaste toppers.

And You Hip-Hop, and You Don't Stop Just Blast Off, Sure Shot

2011-05-21T08:58:00.004+02:00

According to experts, today's the day. The Rapture, Apocalypse, Doomsday, the End of the World....Me? I'll be baking cupcakes til the very end. I've got a batch of carrot cake ones in the oven right now as I type this. What will you be doing to prepare for the end?

My friend (and fellow Cupcake Camp Paris organizer), Bryan posted a very funny article yesterday about what he will be doing when the end comes. Go check it out - if you are not among the roughly 3 million people who will be saved today, you have approximately 5 months til meeting your fate!

If yesterday was my last "normal" day on this earth, well, then I am glad I was able to spend it doing some of my favorite things. Like hanging out with my kids, having a nice dinner with my hubby and baking all sorts of chocolatey goodness (pictured here).

I'm off this weekend to celebrate a different kind of rapture -- my wedding anniversary. Hope to see you all back here next week! If not, well, it's been nice knowing you all.....

Some Day My Princess Will Come

2011-05-15T10:59:00.002+02:00

Princess Fairy Cake & Cupcake Tower
Originally uploaded by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis)

My first fondant fairy princess! I had so much fun with this. Wishing the birthday girl a very happy day - hope you like your fairy cake!

Baby, Baby, Baby Oh : A Contest & Cupcake Recipe

2011-05-09T21:30:00.000+02:00

A few months ago, the distribution company of the new Bernard Jeanjean film: Une Folle Envie (A Burning Desire or An Insatiable Urge in English) contacted me to create a custom cupcake as a tie-in with the movie release.

I already posted about our very exciting evening out to a private screening with the cast and crew -- well, my cupcake gets a lot of inspiration from the movie's plot about a young couple, played by Clovis Cornillac andOlivia Bonamy, who are in love and ready to start a family. This is by no means an easy task, and as time goes on, Rose and Yann try just about everything to get pregnant including eating some pretty strange stuff.

There are no unusual ingredients in my cupcake but I hope this recipe will leave you feeling a little saucy -- it's a delicious mix of ginger, passion fruit and rose. But more about that in a sec...first, I have a little contest to whet your appetite.

I'm giving away tickets to a showing of Une Folle Envie (I have 5 sets of 2 seats to offer) which comes out May 18th. Here's the film's trailer to put you in the mood:

Une Folle Envie - Bande-Annonce / Trailer [VF|HD] par Lyricis

How Can You Win 2 Tickets to a Showing?

1) leave me a comment below telling me what is the craziest thing you have heard of eating or doing to increase your chances of getting pregnant,

OR

2) tweet "win 2 seats for the new film Une Folle Envie via @sugar_daze http://tinyurl.com/64w6y63"

The contest ends at noon on May 18 when winners will be chosen at random from all of the comments/tweets received. Please be sure to make sure I have a way of contacting you (by providing your email or web address for example).

A big thank you to SND Films for generously providing the tickets (and for inviting me to create a cupcake for this special event).

And without further ado, here's my recipe for Une Folle Envie cupcake for you to whip up at home...Enjoy with moderation -- I can't be held responsible for any desires you act out after you fall under the spell of this tantalizing combination of a triple ginger cupcake with a passion fruit curd center and rose cream cheese frosting!

Une Folle Envie : Triple Ginger Cupcake with Passionfruit Curd and Rose Frosting
by Sugar Daze

For the Passionfruit Curd
Yield: About 1 Cup (You will have leftovers that can be conserved in a sterilized jar for up to 10 days in the fridge or 1 month in the freezer).

To Make:
1) Take the pulp from 4 ripe passion fruit.
2) Combine with 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk and 75 grams of caster sugar in a medium suacepan over low heat.
3) Cook, stirring for about 10-15 minutes until the curd thickens.
4) Remove from heat and place in a clean bowl. Stir in 65 grams butter and mix until it's well incorporated. Let cool for at least 15 minutes, cover with saran wrap - pushing down so wrap covers surface of curd entirely, and then put in fridge to cool.

For the Cupcakes
Yield: 18

To Make:
1) Preheat oven to 350/180 degrees and place 18 cupcake liners in cupcake tins.
1) Cream 4 ozs. butter and 1 cup sugar until light and smooth. Add in 1 egg and combine.
2) In a separate bowl sift, 1 ½ cups flour, ¼ tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda & 1 tsp ground ginger.
3) In a measuring cup, measure out 1/2 cup buttermilk + 1 tsp. vanilla
4) Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture little by little ending with the flour. Mix to combine after each addition.
5) Grate 1 1/2 tbsps. fresh ginger and add to batter.
6) Add in 1/2 cup hot water and stir.
7) Lastly, mix in ½ cup thinly chopped crystallized ginger and stir to combine. (For extra flavor, you could also add in 1 tsp. of fleur d'oranger).
8) Pour batter into tins and bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from tins and let cool on rack.

To Make the Rose Frosting:

1) Take cream cheese and butter out of fridge about 30 minutes before using.
2) Mix 100 g Philadelphia cream cheese and 40 grams butter together using stand-mixer.
3) Add in 300 grams icing sugar and 1-2 tsps. rose water. Mix until whipped and creamy.
Note: We also tried topping these cupcakes with a chocolate ganache frosting which was very good too!

To assemble:
Once cupcakes have cooled, cut an inverted cone out of the top of each cupcake. Place 1 tbsp. curd in center and replace top. You may need to shave a bit off the cone in order for it to lie flat. Frost with an offset spatula or pastry bag & tip.

Enjoy & GOOD LUCK!

Taking Care of Business Part 1

2011-04-30T13:52:00.003+02:00

After 2 weeks of non-stop travel, my first week back home in Paris has been pretty busy. I had an amazing time in my hometown of New York. It was nice to visit with some old friends and satisfy my cravings for some of my favorite foods like pizza, chinese, burgers and cupcakes! But it wasn't all vacation; I did work on some very fun projects while I was there......

A few weeks before I left for New York an old friend from pastry school called to ask if I would be interested in creating a cupcake with him for a new restaurant he's opening later this year in Manhattan. Would I? You bet! I answered.

24 hours before we were to meet, Tomas called and briefly described to me the restaurant concept. He spoke about some of the dishes and desserts they would be serving and asked me to focus on the color white (this fits in with the overall restaurant theme but I don't want to divulge too much so let's leave it at that). I met up with Tomas at a friend's restaurant bearing several bags of different ingredients I thought would come in handy. Since their cuisine is to be primarily fusion with a nod to Tomas' homeland of Thailand, I had something sweet and spicy in mind. For some reason I could not get the image of white-blond rocker Billy Idol out of my head and his song Hot in the City. Tomas wanted something different but easy enough to recreate at any time of year, something traditional with a unique twist. I love cupcake tastings and assembling all the various options of a new flavor combo. In total, we tried 6 different cupcakes, each had between 4-7 different iterations and unanimously settled on a winner. Keeping with the white theme, we concocted a coconut cupcake with a white pepper-macadamia nut-cocount cream filling and a white chocolate ganache mohawk frosting. Tomas of course has my permission to modify the cupcake as he and his partners see fit. I wish them lots of luck and patience over the months to come as they secure their funding and get ready for the big opening. I'm tickled pink to have been invited to work with them and look forward to our cupcake's NY debut!

I also had the opportunity to spend a day with Elisa Strauss, the founder of Confetti Cakes, to learn the art of gumpaste flowers. All I can say is that I had an amazing time - I love Elisa! She is a patient and enthusiastic teacher, clealy dedicated to her craft and is so very talented at what she does. Her cake studio is decorated with cake dummies from her books and they are just as incredible in real life as on the printed page. In 5 hours, we were able to cover a number of different flowers and I can't wait to try them for myself at home. I would highly recommend taking a class with Elisa to anyone in the area or further afield. A huge thank you to Elisa for taking me under her wing as a student for the day - I look forward to seeing you again (maybe one day in Paris?) and taking another class in the future.

One of the things I loved most about my visit to the US was the TV programming -- Cupcake Wars, Amazing Wedding Cakes, Last Cake Standing, etc., I could not get enough! Even my kids were hooked. I was so impressed by the skills of all these bakers and the unbelievable flavor combinations and structures they assembled in such a short period of time - 1000 cupcakes in 3 filled varieties with hand-made decorations in 2 hours! You have got to be kidding me! I still don't know how they managed to pull that one off. So, when my best friend's husband "challenged" me to take on Crumbs in a red velvet taste-off, I could not say no. Red velvet is one of my favorite cupcake varieties and I think I make a pretty darn good one. Thankfully, this request came in before I left Paris, so I traveled with a sachet of pre-assembled dry ingredients to NY.

Finding the equivalent of the butter, buttermilk, oil, etc. that I use was a challenge enough in a NYC supermarket (and wow was it expensive!) as was baking in my friend's apartment. You know that joke "My wife makes dinner every night...her favorite thing to make? Reservations!" Well, that sums up my friend perfectly. So when it dawned on me that I hadn't thought to bring vanilla beans for the frosting, I had to make due with the only thing I could find in her cabinets -- French Vanilla flavored Splenda! The horror! I wasn't present for the taste-off but my friend later told me her hubby and his family were "raving about my cupcakes" so I'll take that as a thumbs up. :)

As I mentioned at the very beginning of this post, we did a lot of eating while in NYC and I'd love to share some of my favorite addresses with you (especially for cupcakes)! This post is aready getting long so I'll fill you in next time about where we ate and the new cupcakeries we explored......

Crumbs Red Velvet photo courtesy of tambbr.blogspot.com

The Winner Takes It All

2011-04-27T17:23:00.002+02:00

A few months back, my friend Lindsey told me about a contest on Martha Stewart's site. Entitled the Cutest Cupcakes of 2010, I decided I had a few contestants that fit the bill including my Thanksgiving turkeys made for La Mom's TV appearance on M6. I promptly submitted them along with 1-2 others and could NOT believe it when about a month ago, I was contacted by one of Martha's peeps informing me I was a winner! That's right, my turkey cupcakes were selected as one of the 20 winning (or cutest) cupcakes among hundreds of entries received! I can't tell you how tickled pink I am to have received this nod from Martha and her team! What did I win? A copy of Martha's Cupcake Book of course - I only wish she had autographed it before it was sent out! Oh, and an appearance on Martha's site along with the 19 other winners (congratulations to you all!); I'm slide #11.

Sugar Daze Cupcakes (and a Recipe) on Disney's YouTube Channel!

2011-04-20T01:01:00.002+02:00

A few weeks ago, I did a cupcake tutorial for Disney centered around their Club Penguin. That video has just been uploaded to their YouTube channel here. If I had known they were going to spend so much time filming my hands, I would have gotten a manicure! This was so much fun to do and hope you enjoy it!

There She Goes, There She Goes Again

2011-04-04T15:12:00.000+02:00

Well, I've just wrapped up the last of my orders for a short while - I am taking off for the US later this week to work on some fun, new projects and take a short vacation. On my calendar? I'm hoping to catch up with the girls of Cupcakes Take the Cake for a little cupcake chat. I've also booked a private class with the amazingly gifted Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes; I'll be spending 5 hours in Elisa's studio hoping that some of her magic will wear off on me. I'll be meeting with a former classmate from Peter Kump's who has invited me to create a signature cupcake for the menu of his new Manhattan restaurant opening later this year. And I will be taking on Crumbs Bake Shop in my very own personal version of Cupcake Wars! (A friend's husband has asked me to bake him a batch of my red velvets so he can do a taste test comparison -- no offense but I'm hoping to blow Crumbs out of the water by the way!). Yup, that's what we cupcakers do for fun....

And of course no trip to Manhattan would be complete without a round-up of some of the city's best cupcake stores. On my last cupcake crawl, I hit Crumbs, Butter Lane, Cupcake Stop (RIP), Chikalicious and Two Little Red Hens. On Round 2, I hope to get to Baked by Melissa, sugar Sweet sunshine, Billy's and Kumquat Cupcakery.

I won't be baking again until Tuesday April 26th and my May is already starting to look a little crazy so if you want to order, please do get in touch.

Wishing you all a good Spring break, Happy Easter and see you soon.

xo Cat

Baby Give It Up

2011-03-21T18:50:00.005+01:00

About once a week, I get solicited by a company, a school, an association, an event organizer, etc. to donate cupcakes in exchange for publicity. In fact I was recently propositioned by a very famous magazine to receive a glowing 1/4-page editorial about my business in exchange for...wait for it...TWO THOUSAND cupcakes for an event they were hosting. Call me naive but I didn't think things like this went down behind the scenes! But I digress. A lot of times I tempted by these offers -- it's an event that sounds like a lot of fun or could open up some new customers to me. But if I was to say yes to everyone, I'd be out a lot of dough (and cash!). I count myself extremely lucky to have such a hot product and so try my best to do some goodwill where I can.

There's only so many free cupcakes I can give away and so only say yes to a select number of these requests. I have a few key criteria I use to evaluate them. My first and most important one is that it must have a charitable goal. And that charity must have a personal relevance for me. In July, I co-organized Cupcake Camp Paris and personally donated over 100 cupcakes -- the proceeds of the event were donated to Rebuilding Haiti Now; I am proud to say we (all the bakers collectively) made a donation of over 1200 euros to this worthwhile cause. In September, I gave 100% of 1 day's sales at my pop-up store at Printemps to Institut Gustave Roussy, dedicated to breast cancer research (over 500 euros raised!). In June, I am partnering with the Centre Pompidou for an event that promotes music and arts to young people. Yes, I am proud to lend my support to these programs and I offer these examples to demonstrate the types of events I am willing to offer free cupcakes for. Give me the chance to make a small difference in this world via my cupcakes and I am all over it. Use me to put a buck in your pocket or create a buzz around your event cause cupcakes are so "hot" right now -- sorry, I'm not your girl.

I'm not trying to come across as holier than thou, it's just that I have to draw the line somewhere and so while my cupcakes are having their moment in the spotlight, I figure I might as well do some good for others rather than reap all the awards.

Like many of you, I have spent several hours this past week glued to my computer screen watching the events as they unfold in Japan. I cannot even imagine what the earthquake and tsunami survivors are going through. I think of all these people who have lost loved ones and family members, and the pain and horror of living through this tragedy. Of the mass devastation they are surrounded by and the continued threat to their health from radiation and lack of essential goods. I am saddened to the bottom of my heart and felt compelled to do something to support the aid and relief efforts underway as Japan tries to rebuild after this tragedy. Luckily, I happened to see a tweet from Sabrina at The Tomato Tart about the Online Bake Sale she is organizing for Japan. There are over 60 bakers involved from all over the world and I am happy and proud to be a part of this. The money raised is going to Second Harvest Japan.

So what am I offering? I will be donating one dozen cupcakes - two of my favorite flavors: you'll get 6 each of my Salted Caramel buttercream topped Devil's Food Cupcakes, and 6 Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry-Champagne buttercream. I'd like to offer a worldwide ship on these. If you are in Paris, you'll get them with my traditional swirl and hand-made decorations. For those who are farther afield, I am still working on this but chances are you will get cupcakes filled with buttercream and topped with a fondant decoration to keep the cupcakes moist and intact during transit.

The bake sale will be held, auction-style, on 30 March at thetomatotart.com. Go check it out. Bid high and bid often! And thank you Sabrina for bringing us together!

Isn't She Lovely?

2011-03-19T08:11:00.002+01:00

I made some cupcakes yesterday for a fashion shoot. mamaNANA.com and Cake lingerie to be precise. Of the 6, this was my favorite. It just came out perfect and goes down in my book as one of my favorite designs to date. I can sometimes angst over the decoration of a cupcake for hours (don't get me started on the wedding cake I'm making next weekend) and so it's funny when just a few quickly cut flowers placed randomly can turn out so well. Happy Weekend everybody!

Come On Eileen

2011-03-17T14:33:00.002+01:00

Wishing everyone a very happy (and safe) St. Patrick's Day. Wish I was in New York to paint the town green!

Salt 'n Pepa's Here & We're In Effect

2011-03-17T07:57:00.007+01:00

Now that the cupcake has made a name for itself in France, and has been tweaked to suit the French palate by most of the bakers I know, the French have put their own twist on this American classic by serving up "cupcakes salés" or savory cupcakes. Most of the cupcakeries around town offer several varieties on lunchtime menus in addition to their sweet offerings.

I had never eaten a savory cake before coming to France and while intuitively it seems a bit odd, I can assure you that it's definitely a pleasant change of pace. I have an event coming up where they have asked me to prepare savory cupcakes alongside my regular sugary confections and so have been testing several recipes. I am not planning on offering these as a regular menu item though - this particular order was placed by one of my very regular customers for a corporate function.

I had a lot of success with this very simple gruyere and ham recipe yesterday and so wanted to share it with you. It was originally posted in Journal de Femmes on l'Internaute Magazine by Julia Boyer. I have made some small adaptations to the recipe. Funnily, while most of the sweet cupcakes I have eaten here tend towards the dry side (and it's no wonder given that most French people will tell you a cupcake is a "muffin with frosting") this savory cupcake is actually much moister than an American muffin which is probably what we would call it in the US.

Savory Cupcakes with Ham & Gruyere
Yield: 8 very large cupcakes

200 g all-purpose flour
4 eggs
8 tbsp milk
75 g melted butter
250 g gruyere or emmental cut in small cubes
300 g cubed ham
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp herbes de provence or parsley
salt, pepper

1) Pre-heat oven to 170C degrees.

2) Sift the flour, baking powder, herbs, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, milk and melted butter. Stir to mix.

3) Add in the cubed ham and cheese and mix to incorporate.

4) Divide batter into greased and floured, or lined, cupcake tin. Fill any empty holes about 2/3 full with water.

5) Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6) Serve warm.

We enjoyed these with a bowl of ginger carrot soup (I omit the lemon) and a side salad of mache.

Let's Spend the Night Together

2011-03-15T10:01:00.004+01:00

...or my evening with Clovis Cornillac. Let me explain...

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the co-producers of a new film to work with them on a project. They invited me to a private screening of the film last night to assist in my inspiration and creativity. I dragged my husband along and we had a great time. The film, Une Folle Envie (or "A Burning Desire" for you anglophones) stars Clovis and Olivia Bonamy as a couple who are prepared to do whatever it takes to have a baby.

It's a really sweet film that follows Rose & Yann's (Bonamy & Cornillac's) highs and lows in their pursuit to get pregnant. Both attended the screening last night as well as the director, Bernard JeanJean, other members of the cast, like Elise Larnicol and Francois Vincentelli, and crew, and various producers. Clovis, who sat in the row directly behind us in the theater with his wife and adorable kids, is just as cute in real life as he appears on the big screen. He plays Yann with his usual charm and great comedic timing.

Olivia Bonamy, also known as Romain Duris' better half (le sigh), is gorgeous on-screen and off, and really stole the show. She's talented and stylish and funny and sexy - really, what's not to love about this gal?

I'll be back to tell you about a great give-away I'll be running in conjunction with the film's release on May 18 thanks to SND Films, as well as to share the details of my participation in this project. In the meantime, you can check out the trailer here.

Enjoy the Silence

2011-03-09T21:27:00.003+01:00

Fire table 5! I have several pots on the stove simmering and some close to boiling - I wanted to share with you some of the projects that I have coming down the pike.

First off in a few days time, I should be taking delivery of my brand spanking new website! It's been in the works for quite some time now but delayed due to unexpected complications in the coding. As you can imagine, I am very eager to get my hot little hands on it. I hope you'll find it much easier to find the essential cupcake information you need and the menu will be much more interactive. A bonus to French users is that the text has been entirely proofed by my mother-in-law so you won't be seeing any of the ridiculous grammatical mistakes I often make (that my husbands loves to rib me about!). Keep your eyes on this space for the big reveal coming soon....

Speaking of my horrendous French, I was interviewed by Paris Business Club on BFM Radio last week. I enjoyed having the opportunity to talk about my background and my business, and was happy that the story of my copycat was one of the main topics explored in the interview. If anything, I hope to share my tale so that others won't have to suffer by making the same mistake I did.

I was recently contacted by a film distribution company to work on a project for an upcoming movie release. I am really excited about this but I don't want to share all the juicy details just yet. Just know there will be something cool in it for all of you! I'm attending a private screening of the film next week with the actors, directors, etc. and I'm really looking forward to this amazing opportunity.

I'll be in the US next month to do some research for another upcoming project and I'm also going back to school for a day...I am giddy with anticipation for my private lesson with one of New York's premiere Master Cake Decorators! Unfortunately this means I will be unavailable for orders and events for most of the month. But for those who have already booked in weddings and such for later this Spring, I am hoping to wow you with all the new skills and techniques I pick up.

Last but not least, the very preliminary planning for Cupcake Camp Paris II is underway. It's too early to discuss any details but we are tentatively shooting for a date at la rentree. If you are a restaurant or club owner located in Central Paris and you would be interested in hosting this event, please do get in touch. Bryan and I have enlisted the help of fellow cupcake afficianado, Nicolette of the blog Cafe Creme, to help with the organization. More to come on this in coming months.

A few of the other pots I have going need some more seasoning and cook time before I can plate those dishes for you but things are certainly heating up in the Sugar Daze kitchen this year! I'll try to post when I have some interesting news to share but don't be surprised if you encounter some radio silence from time to time.

Go Ahead, Cupcake, Make my Day!

2011-02-17T11:40:00.003+01:00

I recently had the pleasure of judging a Christmas cupcake contest on the well-known Cupcak(e)ista's blog. During the process, I met (albeit virtually) Dorian of Mais Pourquoi Est-ce Que Je Vous Raconte Ca... who organizes an annual event called Cupcakes's Day; this year, the 3rd Annual Cupcake's Day will take place on March 6.

I've never met a cupcake event I didn't love and so of course wanted to get in on the action! Especially since the French seem to be embracing my native childhood dessert with such fervor! Today I am going to share a recipe that I recently whipped up as one of my Valentine's Day selections called Wonderful Tonight. It's a light, luscious cupcake for Spring (which I am hoping is just around the corner) and combines several of my favorite flavors: cherry, almonds and chocolate.

A special shout-out to Halwati Shop, an online baking supply boutique, which I have had the pleasure of discovering a few weeks back and am already hooked! No more international ordering for me to source my supplies, Halwati has an AMAZING array of cupcake cases, cutters and moulds, color gels, glitter, and all sorts of tools for the cake and cupcake lover. I made the intricate lace heart decoration and embossed flowers you see in this post (below) with sugarpaste using a Halwati silicone mould and plunger cutter respectively. And I finished the overall presentation with some gorgeous Vestlihouse liners, also from Halwati Shop.

Wonderful Tonight
Almond cupcake with cherry jam center & chocolate buttercream

Makes 18
Almond Cupcakes:
4 ozs. unsalted butter/beurre doux, softened
1 cup sugar/sucre en poudre
1 large egg
1 tsp. baking soda/bicarbonate alimentaire
1/2 - 1 tsp. almond extract (use the greater amount if you really like almonds; I use the Vahine brand: "Arome Amande amere")
½ tsp. salt
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 ½ cups flour
1/2 cup buttermilk /lait fermente
1/2 cup hot water

1) Pre-heat oven to 350F/180C. Grease or place cupcake liners into cupcake tins.
2) To make cupcakes, cream together sugar and butter until smooth. Add egg, almond extract, baking soda, salt and mix until well-combined.
3) Alternate adding flour and buttermilk in 3 batches, mix well until smooth. Add hot water last and mix to combine. Add in almonds and mix again.
4) Fill cupcake liners 2/3rds full.
5) Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from tin and let cool on wire rack.

Cherry Jam Center:
I use a recipe from David Lebovitz because I really enjoy making my own jam. But if you want to take a shortcut, it's perfectly acceptable to substitute store-bought in this recipe.

1) Once the cupcakes have cooled, take a small sharp knife and cut an inverted cone shape out of the center of each cupcake. Be careful not to cut all the way down, you want to leave a small layer of cake at the bottom of the liner.
2) Spoon 2-3 teaspoons jam into the area you have hollowed out from the cupcake.
3) Replace cupcake top - if it's poking out too much, shave some cake off the bottom of the cone and put back in place.

Chocolate Buttercream:
300g 70% dark chocolate, melted (you can substitute white chocolate for a lighter version)
175g unsalted butter, at room temp
10 ml whipping cream
350g icing sugar, sifted

1) Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add in cream.
2) Add melted chocolate and beat until thick and creamy.
3) Frost cupcakes using a pastry tip and decorate as desired!

This Cupcake is B-A-N-A-N-A-S

2011-01-31T17:07:00.003+01:00

B-A-N-A-N-A-S
Originally uploaded by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis)

The banana brown sugar cupcake lightly spiced with fresh ginger and cinnamon and topped with a salted caramel buttercream. Available tonight & tomorrow along with C is for Cookie, I Love You Honey Bunny & I Want (Cotton) Candy cupcakes at Tan 'in Bar, 18 rue Breguet, 75011 Paris.

I See Your True Colors Shining Through

2011-01-29T12:25:00.003+01:00

It is frigid out today in Paris, though we were lucky to have a few rays of sunshine this morning. I feel like it's time to pack it all in and go hibernate for a few months and so decided to dress up today's orders in some bright, vivid Spring colors.

Petal pink, bright lemon and rosy red add some splash to She Wore Lemon, Rogue, and Strawberry Berry Berry Good cupcakes (above); I had some fun with the piping on Strawberry ones which remind me of those old bathing caps the synchronized swimmers wore in the '50's. And then I went with lots of sparkles and pink buttercream to accent the 3-layer Vanilla Lovers Cinderella cake. Don't you just love Cinderella's dress with the feather collar? Tres chic!

Love to Love You Baby!

2011-01-21T10:35:00.005+01:00

The Sugar Daze Valentine's Day coffret is back and better than ever (reserve yours now - quantities are limited)!

The 2011 collection includes.....

2 cupcakes of your choice in the following flavors:

Vanilla Lovers (vanilla bean cupcake & buttercream)
Rogue (vanilla bean cupcake & milk chocolate buttercream)
Wonderful Tonight (almond cupcake with a cherry-vanilla jam center & dark chocolate buttercream)
Sexy Back (vanilla cupcake, champagne macerated raspberries gelee center, & your choice of rose OR milk chocolate buttercream)
La Vie en Rose (white chocolate chunk cupcake & your choice of strawberry-rose OR raspberry buttercream)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (my favorite: red velvet cupcake & your choice of vanilla bean OR spicy cinnamon cream cheese frosting)

+ an adorable card for your beloved specially created for Sugar Daze by Bonne Fete (pictured). Available in tiffany blue/red or pink/red, cupid takes aim at a cupcake/inside of card is blank.

The set = 11,00 euros.

Cupcakes can be picked up on February 14 at either our Paris 75011 or 75017 locations. Send an email to info@sugardazecupcakes.com for more information or to reserve yours. Peace, love and cupcakes y'all!

Unattached? There's no reason to deprive yourself of some delicious Valentine's Day cupcakes made with love! Several decorations available including this "Love Stinks," a black rose or a declaration "I Love Me." Make sure to specify you want a "Not in the Mood for Love" box when ordering.

Just a Little Patience

2011-01-18T13:23:00.002+01:00

If I hadn't already changed my name from Little Miss Cupcake, I would seriously start considering a change to Little Miss Cake! Since the beginning of January, it has literally been like a cake factory here in my kitchen. And I gotta tell you, I am not as comfortable with cakes as I am with cupcakes. There is a definite skill to cutting and layering cakes so that they stand up straight. And since I am not a huge fan of fondant-covered cakes, it takes a lot of patience to get a smooth surface with your buttercream. I also firmly believe that there is a real art to decorating a cake. I see that big surface staring me in the face and I don't see a canvas...I see something that I am really not quite sure what to do with!

I have been looking at a lot of different sites lately to get some inspiration as I seem to be getting more and more calls for cake. I've recently discovered Pink Cake Box, Petal Sweet Cakes and Zoe Clark among others. If you're a cake baker, feel free to leave me a note and tell me where you draw your inspiration from. I'll be sticking to cupcakes where I can but do find a certain relaxation in cake baking and making. One of my goals for the year in addition to improving my cake decorating skills is to find a cake style and stick with it. I think that will make the process easier and more enjoyable.

Fist up was a Hot Wheels cake for my son's 8th birthday. The kids at his party were fascinated by the grass and were having fits of giggles when they asked me for more grass please!

Next was a wedding cake for a couple who brought me a shawl worn by the fiance's great grandmother on the day she was married 60 or so years ago. The current fiancee would be wearing it on her wedding day as well. The design on the cake was inspired by the cascades of yellow, beige and white blossoms on that shawl.

They there was a cake for a two year-old's birthday. Her parents wanted an elephant on the cake.

And lastly a second wedding cake for a couple who were both getting married for the second time. They wanted something somewhat traditional but at the same time kind of against the grain. I ordered these absolutely exquisite blood-red roses from my florist and they really stole the show -- this was actually a pretty fairly easy cake to make but the results were extraordinary thanks to the fresh blooms.

I Will Not Eat Things for Money

2011-01-14T18:33:00.003+01:00

I haven't seen the Simpsons in many years but will willingly admit that I have spent countless hours being entertained by them. One of my favorites still remains the random expressions written on the blackboard of the beginning of each episode. You can find a list of them here.

These are Vanilla Lovers & Strawberry Berry Berry Good cupcakes with hand-made sugarpaste toppers. They were ordered for a birthday - I imagine the birthday boy or girl is a fan too.

My favorite one to create was Marge with her big blue hair. I had a laugh too when looking up "Doh!" which I always thought was written that way but on every website I checked they had inserted an apostrophe to make it "D'Oh!" I have to ask if that is because my browser defaults to French sites and this is the French version. Or is that really the way it is spelled? Something to contemplate over a donut and mug of Duff.

I'm Walking on Sunshine & Don't It Feel GOOD!

2011-01-01T16:22:00.003+01:00

Happy New Year to you all! Hope your 2011 is off to a good start. I had some amazing news about 1 hour in and am hoping it's a sign of all the good stuff that is yet to come.

Yesterday I told you about the young Frenchman, Jerome, I prepared "proposal" cupcakes for. I first met him this summer when he came to me looking for cupcakes for his girlfriend's birthday. She had discovered cupcakes while living in DC during 2009 for a work project and became a little bit obsessed. Several failed home-baking trials later, and after having dragged Jerome to every cupcake shop in Paris looking for the holy grail, frustration set in as nothing lived up to her memories of what she had tasted stateside. A friend of a friend sent them to me and since then, they have become pretty frequent clients. Slowly working their way through just about every flavor on my menu!

In November, Jerome asked me if I would be in Paris over New Year's - that he had something special in mind and wanted to make me a part of it. I was a bit reluctant to commit as I hoped that we would be away on vacation for the holidays but as fate would have it, we were unable to get out of town. Had I known what he had in store, I would have answered with a firm yes right there on the spot.

A few weeks ago, a follow-up email...."I am planning on proposing to Rose-Marie on New Year's Eve and want to do it with cupcakes." Come again? What? Oh my! An order like this only comes around like once in a lifetime and I was so honored that I had been asked to do this! Once I got over my excitement, I turned into a mini bridezilla over the next few weeks. Pouring over cupcake sites looking for the perfect die-cut cupcake wrappers and suggesting all sorts of flavors to Jerome -- champagne-based, rose for Rose-Marie, etc., etc. He quickly came back and told me, "Let's just make it simple, okay? Chocolate, vanilla, pretty but classic." Well, whatever what the customer wants, right?......

Jerome came by yesterday to collect the cupcakes and I have to admit he looked as a cool as a cucumber. I on the other hand was a bundle of nerves. I could barely get the cupcakes in the box my hands were shaking so much and my thoughts were on them all evening! I was so anxious to have news last night and then at 0H53 a text...."elle a dit oui!" (She said yes!). I cannot even begin to describe how happy I am for the young couple. Preparing these cupcakes was a major highlight for me on both a professional and personal level. Wishing Jerome and Rose-Marie all the best for a happy and bright future. I'm already thinking about the cupcake tower I want to build for the wedding; I have just the right decoration design in mind....kidding! Okay, not really! ;P

Say I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do!

2010-12-31T13:32:00.002+01:00

This has been an extraordinary year for me with many highs and some lows. It's ending on a super sweet note as I just sent a young man off into the streets of Paris with a box of cupcakes he'll be using to propose to his girlfriend tonight. I have fingers, toes and everything else crossed that she says yes though it sounds like they are madly in love. Aw.

I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a wonderful evening and much joy and prosperity in the New Year. As a friend said at my wedding: "May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future." Happy 2011 and see you all on the flip side!

xo Cat

After Midnight, We Gonna Let all Hang Out

2010-12-26T14:08:00.001+01:00

P1100188
Originally uploaded by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis)

What better than to accompany the bubbly this New Year's Eve than a chocolate overloaded cupcake? I call it After Midnight -- a milk chocolate cupcake with a creamy chocolate center and bittersweet chocolate buttercream. Mmm mmm chocolatey goodness!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T08:43:00.000+01:00

May your Christmas sparkle with love, laughter and joy. From my family to yours, wishing you all the best for a magical holiday season!

3rd Annual Holiday Gift Guide -Remastered & Pumped Up

2010-12-22T16:47:00.015+01:00

This is an extremely tardy Holiday Gift Guide. Started it several weeks ago and haven't had a chance to circle back and publish it. Some of these gifts may be too late for Xmas (or maybe not if you are like me and have left your shopping for the last minute!) but you may be able to take advantage of some post-holiday sales to show the favorite cupcake baker in your life how much you really care!

I have discovered a lot of cupcake-related items through my travels, countless hours spent on the internet and through the many cupcake fans I have come to meet over this past year. Some of these ideas will not be a surprise to you because when I find something I like, I blog about it. I hope you will be just as enchanted as I am by some of the other ideas listed here. As a true cupcake afficianado, I promise you that these gift ideas will not disspaoint the cupcake lover in your life. And so without further ado, away we go......

I love how you can dress up or down a cupcake. The perfect cupcake liner can pull a whole design idea together. And this summer, I found myself literally drooling on my screen when I came across the site The Cupcake Social. I don't know where Jen, who runs the site, finds all her goodies but she stocks one of the largest arrays of cupcake cases -- for minis, regular and jumbos + a whole assortment of edible decorations and more -- that I have ever seen. I love how you can buy a batch of liners in the same design or let Jen put together an assortment for you. I love how the cases are organized by color - they are just too beautiful and I spend way too much time on this site thinking about what I could do with them! My current faves are the pink leopard, purple fieldflower and red damask liners in case anyone wants to send me a care package!

I know a lot of you have heard me talk about Sassy Apron but I have drank the Kool-Aid! I love the original designs and high-quality products Lana, who runs this Etsy shop, creates. She offers many styles in a wide range of prints (not just cupcake fabric but what else would I bake in?). She is wonderful to work with -- a truly good soul -- and ships worldwide. What are you waiting for? Go check out her store and you can easily cross several presents off your list. Be sure to tell her I sent you!

Next up is a fabulous new online store here in France that specializes in all sorts of baking goodies, Made in Cupcake. I love all the retro, kitschy items they offer including this serving tray for cupcakes. Can't you just imagine how lovely your cupcake creations would look sitting on that at a dessert table? Be sure to check out the awesome assortment of Meri Meri cupcake decorating kits they stock too - I am itching to get my hands on some!

Another online baking supply store has caught my fancy - it just opened last month but has been in the works for a few years now. I Love Cakes, is a brand new resource for us cupcake bakers run by Valerie down in Lyon. I know she has been busy scouring the world for the best items to offer like cookie cutters, stencils, cake molds and more. I see she has stocked my favorite disco dusts and has a pretty unique supply of edible decorations and the cupcake cases I normally buy in the UK. Thank you Valerie for finally bringing these great products to our side of the pond!

When I was in London a few weeks back, I had the pleasure of visiting Love Bakery on Kings Road. Sam, who runs the bakery is a baking genius and a mompreneur like me (so she gets major hi-fives in my book). I loved the cupcakes that I was able to sample there and to show my support, had to invest in a copy of her new cookbook. Inside you will find recipes for all of her best-sellers including Red Velvet and Lemon Curd Marscapone, as well as a variety of alcohol-infused cupcakes called Cuptails and whoopie pies. Even if you are not a baker, the pictures alone make this a must-have.

I have been buying tees and other accessories from other bakeries for years now and I finally decided to make some of my own gear like this Sugar Daze badge. You can check out my current selection of merchandise in the Sugar Daze store. Choose from dozens of styles of outerwear with one of my favorite movie quotes and a cupcake pic, or an apron, coffee mug and more. They're fun, fashionable and guaranteed to get other people talking.

Another cookbook I am tempted by is the new one out by the famous Bakerella, known worldwide as the pioneer of Cake Pops. Now I frequently make cake pops and I have to say they take a lot of time, patience and effort so I am always amazed by the endless talent and creativity that Bakerella infuses in hers. I will probably buy this book just to "ooh" and "ahh" at the pictures. I am sure this will be tops on many cupcake lovers lists this holiday season.

If you don't have time to make your own cupcake toppers, I can highly recommend you check out the adorable and stylish paper picks made by the TomKat Studio. They offer a wide array of free printable items like stationary, gift tags, and cupcake toppers as well as some items that can be personalized in their Etsy shop. Their blog and shop alone will give you tons of inspiration for your next party; in addition to gorgeous photographs, I'm sure you will agree their party set-ups look so whimsical and fun.

Now, let's talk serious cake decorating! Last year when I was in New York, I saw an ad for the Cricut scrapbooking machine and I thought to myself, I wonder if I could feed fondant into that thing and get it to work. Lo and behold, a few months later, a post on twitter caught my eye about the Cricut Cake Machine. Ladies and gentlemen, this is my dream come true. Now even novice bakers can make a professional-looking cake in a matter of hours. Even Martha Stewart has our own edition with unique Martha designs and fonts! I have to admit the reviews I have read are mixed and at upwards of 400 euros for the basic machine, this is a bit out of reach for many home bakers but since I just learned that one of my favorite baking supply stores in the Netherlands now carries it with shipping available to France, I figured I'd mention it!

I love cupcake bling as many of you know and absolutely adore this charm bracelet by Amy Secrest. It's available at Shanalogic and I would be ever so grateful if Santa popped one of these in my stockings this year! Love the Swarovski beads for added glitter!

For those of you with a more modest budget, check out Gaelle's, a/k/a La Peste Adoree boutique of non-edible but oh-so yummy jewelry and accessories. Every piece is unique and custom-created with Fimo, and made here in France! Her pieces are all adorable and she definitely has an eye for vibrant colors and flair.

One of my big investments of this past year was a spanking new Kenwood mixer. I had debated for many many many years as to whether to go with a Kitchenaid or Kenwood - each has its merits but in the end, I opted for the sturdiness of the Kenwood over the pretty aesthetics of the Kitchenaid. If you do a google search, you will see that much time and energy has been spent on this subject by bakers round the world; I think both are very good machines and it just comes down to your personal preference. I love my Chef and the perfect buttercreams, thick whipped meringues and more it beats up plus it's a huge time saver for when you are making large batches of batter. I've read about folks who have Kenwoods that their mothers or grandmothers passed down to them and am looking forward to getting DECADES of use out of this baby!

Last but not least, I always like to throw in some unrelated to cupcakes sparkle on my holiday gift guide and this year is no exception. Though I am roping in my tastes this year to show you a more affordable option than usual. I discovered Garnet Girl's Designs etsy store while on pinterest (yet another new obsession that has been sucking my free time and probably a big reason why I didn't publish this post earlier!). I love her designs, the hammered metals she works with and the assortment of precious stones she pairs together. Plus, I think you'll agree these are very reasonably priced!

So, what are you waiting for? Print this list and get out there! Happy Shopping, Happy Holidays and see you in the check-out line!

In case you missed them, you can check out my previous holiday gift guides from 2008 and 2009 by clicking on the dates.

Oops I Did It Again

2010-12-16T18:44:00.004+01:00

1, 2, 3 and away we go (again!). Find the Sugar Daze stand at Printemps Nation from 11H30 this Saturday, December 18, on the ground floor (RDC). I'll be bringing several flavors dressed up in their Christmas finest including the wildly popular Caramel Dolce: vanilla cake with salted caramel buttercream. Miam miam, good!

Printemps Nation,
21-25 Cours de Vincennes
75020 Paris

At Printemps Nation Today!

2010-12-11T09:40:00.001+01:00

At Printemps Nation Today!
Originally uploaded by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis)

I'm returning for two days only to Printemps Nation (today, December 11, and next Saturday) to participate in their holiday festivities.

Today I am bringing 6 different flavors:
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (pictured), Cookie Monster, You Were Mint for Me, The Movie Star, Vanilla Lovers and Storm. Find me there from 11:30AM - ??? I am supposed to be on 3rd floor next to Santa!

Just Sit Right Back and You'll Hear a Tale...

2010-12-08T21:00:00.004+01:00

You ever see that show "Dream On" where first we see the main character as a baby in diapers in front of the TV and as the years pass, he's still there on the carpet watching? Well, I've always thought that was me. I was a lifelong TV junkie. Until I met my husband who abhors television and got rid of the cable box as soon as he could. But my childhood years centered around the boob tube and I can remember spending hours pouring over the TV Guide deciding what I would watch to while away the hours. Among my favorites: Charlie's Angels, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, That's Incredible!, Lavern & Shirley, Three's Company, The Dukes of Hazard, Mork & Mindy and the syndicated Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island.

I don't know how many of you have seen Gilligan's Island but it revolved around the simple premise of a group of shipwreck survivors trying to find their way off a desert island in the Pacific (way way before Lost). There were 3 single males and 2 single females among them, and while they never showed any hanky panky going on, one of the age-old conundrums that I've heard debated many times is : Marianne or Ginger? Referring to the cute, perky and smart but alas mousy brunette in the short shorts who mooned over the Professor, or the red hot movie star who never lacked a sequin-encrusted dress with loads of push-up to run around the island in one of their weekly capers.

Growing up, I related to Marianne. Not the brains part of the equation but the shy tomboyness. I never liked to stand out in the crowd and I was definitely not a girly girl. On the other hand, my daughter is definitely a Ginger. She has been attracted to pink and sparkly since she was old enough to crawl; she has crushes on all of my son's friends and I often see her pirouetting around in front of them, one hand on her hip as she coyly calls after them; and I am constantly chasing her out of my make-up bag less she applies that mascara one more time (looking a lot more Tammy Fay than Ginger). Did I mention she just turned 3?!? My daughter and I are clearly wired very differently and I shudder to think about her teenage years but that's a whole 'nother conundrum!

I was asked by Joannah, better known as the blogger and cupcake creator: Cupcak(e)ista, if I would like to participate as a judge in her Christmas cupcake contest. It's open to anyone who wants to create a cupcake inspired by the holiday season. You can read all the details here. In the meantime since Johanna always posts recipes to her blog for the fans to try out, I wanted to share a recipe with you for my favorite Christmas cupcake: A double chocolate Gingerbread with cream cheese frosting. I call it the Movie Star (get it?). You can see it here featured in various incarnations -- the Gingerbread man and Santa coming down the chimney (which is my "hors concours" entry in Cupcak(e)ista's contest). And now you know why my Gilligan's Island tale was included in this post! Good luck to everyone who enters; I look forward to seeing your wonderful Christmas creations!

*The Movie Star* Cupcakes
Double Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes with
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
by Sugar Daze

For Cupcakes
(Yield : 24 cupcakes)

2 ¼ cups flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon instant coffee/espresso
2 ½ teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of salt
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup molasses
2 eggs
½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
¾ cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, coffee/espresso, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt and nutmeg in medium bowl; set aside.

Beat butter, brown sugar and molasses in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with boiling water, beating on low speed after each addition until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in tins about 5 minutes. Remove from tins; cool completely on wire rack.

For Frosting
12 ozs. cream cheese, softened
4 ozs. butter, softened
5 cups icing sugar
½ vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup milk

Bring butter and cream cheese to room temperature by letting them sit out for about an hour. Beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and there are no visible lumps. Alternate adding sugar and milk until frosting is of good spreading consistency. Using the point of a sharp knife, slit the vanilla bean lengthwise and remove seeds. Add to frosting and stir until well-combined. Use an offset spatula to spread frosting on cupcakes and enjoy!

Computer Blue

2010-12-07T18:54:00.006+01:00

Good news cupcake lovers: my cupcakes will be hanging out soon permanently at a new location in the 11th. I am hoping to do two deliveries per week. I made several batches of cupcakes for their Grand Opening including these I Want (Cotton) Candy. More details to come on this very soon!

The first two weeks of January are going to be very busy. I have been getting a lot of orders from companies looking to send a unique end-of-the-year gift to Clients. I offer entirely customized options such as cupcake flavor, colored or themed cupcake case and an edible version of your logo or image on top. Here's mine; can you imagine what yours may look like?! I can also provide gift-packaging and personalized messages as well as delivery of your gifts throughout Paris. Contact me for a cost estimate at info@sugardazecupcakes.com

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2010-12-06T06:29:00.004+01:00

Sugar Daze is heading back to Printemps Nation to join in the Christmas festivities! Find me there on 11 & 18 December on the 3rd floor; I'll be right next to Santa Claus (either I was very good this year or someone has a serious sweet tooth!). The stand will be open from about 11H30 until we sell out.

If you want to know what flavors will be available, check out my page on facebook. I'll be sure to bring some of my new flavor: Dancing Queen (cardamom-white chocolate-pistachio cupcakes with rose buttercream) and a holiday favorite: The Movie Star (double chocolate gingerbread). Hope to see you all there this weekend!

Later, my sweets........

Printemps Nation
21-25 Cours de Vincennes
75020 Paris

You Put Your Chocolate in my Peanut Butter!

2010-12-05T04:20:00.002+01:00

Chocobutter
Originally uploaded by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis)

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups have long been one of my favorite foods. Here in Paris, there are only a handful of stores that sell them, and they don't come cheap! I've tried various incarnations of peanut butter and chocolate cupcake recipes but I always come back to my tested and true -- chocolate brownie cupcake with whipped peanut butter frosting. It's one of my personal favorites and you'll find it on the Sugar Daze menu under the Old School section: Chocobutter. If you're a peanut butter-chocoholic like me, this one's got your name on it!

Time After Time

2010-11-29T13:43:00.003+01:00

Yesterday marked the 7th anniversary of my arrival in France. How time flies and oh so much has changed. I arrived here a new mom with romantic visions of what Paris life would be like. Life has certainly had its up and downs, and it's been much more of an adventure than I would have ever anticipated but I wouldn't change anything about it if I could (okay, well there are a few things....). I was on the metro the other night just as it hit 8PM and as the train came out on the above-ground tracks, as if on cue, the Eiffel Tower started to shimmer and sparkle. What a lovely site and I will never tire of the beauty of my adopted "hometown." If you care to read more about what life has been like for me here on the other side of the Atlantic, I recently pitched in a blog post on Love in the City of Lights; it's part of a series of "Dream Lives" that blogger Kasia has invited other expats to partake in.

And in the meantime -- a little food porn. These are Dancing Queens (a new flavor: cardamom-white chocolate-pistachio cupcakes with swirled pistachio-rose buttercream) in mini-format made for a 40th birthday party.

California Dreaming on Such a Winter's Day

2010-11-27T08:44:00.001+01:00

California Dreaming
Originally uploaded by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis)

We had our first snow of the season in Paris yesterday. My kids were in HEAVEN! I was inside for most of the day working on my last batch of Thanksgiving orders. I was making some California Dreaming cupcakes (lemon with pistachio buttercream) which just seemed to be such a tease considering the weather we have been having.

One of my best friends in the whole world, Shay, celebrated a birthday this week. I missed out on the fun of course since she is home in NY. I was thinking of her as I made this cupcake -- she is the epitome of the West Coast blonde California girl -- even after years abroad living in various European countries, as soon as their is a hint of sun in the day, she breaks out one of her many pairs of flip flops!

Hope you had a wonderful birthday, girlfriend, and looking forward to spending some sunny days with you soon.....

Can I Have an Ariel Birthday Cake?

2010-11-24T13:40:00.002+01:00

Ariel Birthday Cupcake
Originally uploaded by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis)

This is the refrain I have been hearing since this summer. And when my daughter's birthday rolled around in September, she got her Ariel birthday cupcakes! Every day since, she has asked for more Ariel birthday cake. She tells everyone she meets about it and in fact her English teacher just the other day told me she had thought of her at a family birthday party. Why? They served Ariel birthday cake!

This past weekend, I was asked to make some cupcakes with a corporate logo on them and since I was having a bunch of edible images made, I figured I'd ask my guy if he could throw in some Ariels. Sunday morning, I served my daughter a second Ariel birthday cake. I was feeling pretty proud of myself for finally fulfilling the Ariel Birthday Cake fantasy for the second time. Two minutes after it was consumed, she said "Where's my Ariel Birthday Cake?" And it was pretty constant until this morning when she looked at me and said, "Can I have a Cinderella Birthday Cake?" Sheesh! Kids!

This is a new flavor cupcake perfect for a cold winter's day in front of a roaring fire with a hot cuppa tea. Dancing Queen is a cardamom-white-chocolate-pistachio cupcake with rose buttercream. Mmmm Mmmm Good!

Don't Push Me 'Cause I'm Close to the Edge

2010-11-21T08:03:00.005+01:00

I really am trying not to lose my head these days. I should know by now -- this is my third holiday season in business but I find these last few weeks of the year feel like everything is on speed. Including me (though that could be more of a sugar rush from the batter and buttercream I am constantly sampling!). I'm not griping though - I am incredibly grateful to all my customers who keep me employed at the best job I have ever had!

It has been non-stop madness for the past few months, I've barely had time to catch my breath. But I love every minute and find that I put out some of my best work under pressure. Like my old advertising job, I have many deadlines to meet as a baker. The difference though is that I can't ask the client for another day to analyze the data or another week to give the creatives time to finesse the work. No, when the day of the party arrives, I better make damn sure my cupcakes are ready to go when the client arrives, and it isn't always easy. Thank you to everyone who has believed me in over the years; I am grateful for your support!

When I first started out, I sometimes had up to two weeks to get ready for a job. Which was great since I make the majority of my decorations myself from scratch. Over time as order volume has picked up, that period has condensed to the point that I often am making them only hours in advance and in many cases, just before I get ready to put them on the cupcakes or cakes which when you want a nice 3D effect, makes things tricky. I am always grateful for the extra time to get ready for an order but if it's not possible, no worries, me happy!

I'd love to tell you more about the goodies you see here today but I don't want to use up too much space since I have a recipe I want to share (which was especially requested by some friends looking for a traditional holiday cupcake). Pictured are some Black & White birthday cupcakes for a fan of the group, MUSE; a Caramel Dolce communion cake topped with sugarpaste daisies and ribbon; a giant milk chocolate cupcake covered in white chocolate ganache frosting for Daphne's communion (which I had so much fun making!); a Vanilla Lovers horse birthday cake; a tower of assorted cupcakes for a baptism; one of my Jumpin' Jack Flash pumpkin cupcakes and some turkey cupcakes I made for the show 100% Mag on channel M6 which will air this coming Thursday in honor of Thanksgiving with my one of my favorite bloggers: La Mom. Thanks everyone for the challenges of coming up with these designs; I am always grateful for the smiles my cupcakes put on my clients' faces.

Oh, and did I mention the development of my first, real website is underway so I have also been busy writing the content, getting it translated for the French version as well as baking up lots of extra cupcakes to be photographed for the site!?! A big thanks to my friends and family who are providing feedback on this project, and to the folks at Aleberry Creative who have the design and technical skills to pull this together; I am gratefeul for your help.

But I digress.....many moons ago I worked over the holidays for my Jamaican friend, James, who I met at Peter Kump's. He was my partner the day I made my first arc-en-ciel tart which we covered in every fruit imaginable and it was the start of a beautiful friendship. We created many desserts together including the pumpkin spice cupcakes which I feature on my menu as "Jumpin' Jack Flash." I made a batch a few weeks ago and as I sat down last night to write this post, I realized that one of my recipe books has gone missing! I have a feeling it got lost one day in the shuffle somewhere between my home and kitchen! This is one of my seasonal recipes and I have to admit, I don't know it by heart. I could probably work up an approximation of the recipe while tinkering in my kitchen, but that's not going to help you get ready for Thanksgiving. Thanks everyone for your patience! And thanks to good friends and family who are willing to be a part of my culinary adventures. PS: I'd be ever so grateful to the random stranger who may have found my erratic scribblings in a "CatDog" notebook which doubled as one of my recipes book if you could please contact me to arrange a return!

Thankfully, I tasted some amazing pumpkin cupcakes at Cupcake Camp London a few weeks back and when I asked the baker for the recipe, she referred me to the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook. Thank you Belle of Belle Bakes - I am grateful for your generosity! I'll be making a batch of these for my daughter's class this Thursday and hopefully will be able to track down that notebook in the meantime! Hope you enjoy it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! What are you grateful for this year?

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
From the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

For about 15 cupcakes:
1 cup flour
¾cup sugar
1T baking powder
1½ teaspoons cinnamon, plus extra
pinch of salt
3T unsalted butter, room temperature
½cup whole milk
2 eggs
6½ oz pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 325. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and butter in mixing bowl and beat on slow until well combined.

Add eggs to the mix scraping sides. Mix in milk. Stir in pumpkin until evenly dispersed.

Spoon batter into baking papers ⅔ full. Bake 16-20 mins in preheated oven or until cake bounces back when touched. Let cupcakes cool slightly before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely. When cupcakes are cool spoon the Cream Cheese Frosting on top and dust with cinnamon.

For cream cheese frosting:
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar
3T unsalted butter, room temp
4oz cream cheese, cold

Beat sugar and butter together until mixture is well mixed. Add cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn mixer up to med-high. Continue beating until frosting is light and fluffy. Do not over beat, it will quickly become runny.

Related Posts:
Turkey Cupcakes from Paris
A Thank-Filled Weekend
In Preparation for Turkey Day
La Mom on TV

To Say I Love You

2010-11-14T20:22:00.005+01:00

One of my orders this weekend was for a young woman who lives in Kiev. She contacted me a few weeks back to tell me she would be traveling to Paris with her boyfriend to celebrate his birthday. She wanted to order cupcakes and left me free rein on the design -- the only request was that that they be special for "the man she loves so much!" What came to mind immediately was bold vibrant colors and lots of hearts.

These are Wake Me up Before You Go Go (cinnamon cupcakes with mocha buttercream and sugarpaste red hearts and daisies), Rolo Over Beethoven (chocolate cake and buttercream, a salted caramel center, chocolate dots and mini sugar hearts) & Vanilla Lovers (vanilla bean cake and buttercream with stars, mini hearts and a "happy Bday" banner). It was raining all weekend in Paris so I hope these made their trip just a little sweeter!

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm

2010-11-11T09:00:00.002+01:00

Or Hum in this instance, as in Hummingbird cupcakes. An odd name for a tasty treat and there has been much speculation on where the name of the Hummingbird cake or cupcake gets its origins. According to the Food Timeline, “Food historians generally cite Mrs. L.H. Wiggin's recipe published in the February 1978 issue of Southern Living magazine as the first printed reference to "Hummingbird Cake." Mrs. Wiggins did not offer an explanation of the name. Evidence strongly suggests this cake was popular in the south and known by several different (and equally interesting) names.” Many say that the name is a nod to its sweetness – hummingbirds are drawn to intensely sweet sources just as people are drawn to this cake. Incidentally, the Hummingbird Cake remains Southern Living’s most requested recipe.

It goes on to say that this cake is likely Jamaican in origin - the hummingbird (aka Dr. Bird) is one of the national symbols – though may have been adapted for American tastes. The combination of bananas, crushed pineapple and nuts common in most hummingbird cake recipes certainly is reminiscent of the tropics. A press kit dating back to 1969 from the Kingston (Jamaica) Daily Gleaner included a recipe for the Doctor Bird cake, made from bananas. And a contributor to an article in the Charlotte Observer notes that her family recipe for the Dr. Bird cake came to her from Jamaican Airlines in the late ‘60’s.

Another theory is that in the old days, people would hum as they ate the cake because it was so incredibly delicious. I like this idea best of all and invite you to tell me what you think; my recipe for Hummingbird cupcakes (adapted from Martha Stewart) follows:

Hummingbird Cupcakes with Orange Creamsicle Frosting
(Makes 22-24)

For the cupcakes:
110 grams unsalted butter, melted and then cooled
200 grams sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 bananas (the riper the better!), mashed
170 grams pineapple (5 rounds, canned), crushed
120 g pecans, crushed
190 grams all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup white chocolate chips (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350/180 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add in the eggs one by one and mix until blended. Add vanilla and mix. Mix in the bananas, pineapple and pecans until just combined. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, ginger and cinnamon, and then fold this into the batter. Lastly mix in the white chocolate chips. Fill either greased and lightly floured or paper-lined cupcake tins about 2/3 of the way full and bake for about 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool before frosting.

Orange Creamsicle Frosting
by Sugar Daze

80 grams cream cheese at room temperature
100 grams butter at room temperature
450 grams powdered sugar
zest of 1 orange
1-2 teaspoons fleur d’oranger

Mix cream cheese and butter until well-combined. Add in about half the sugar, the orange zest and fleur d'oranger and mix until smooth. Gradually add in the remaining sugar (you may not need all) until the frosting reaches a nice spreading consistency. Pipe on cupcakes or smooth on with a palette knife. Eat and say hummmmmmmm!

Happy National Vanilla Cupcake Day Everyone!

2010-11-10T09:00:00.000+01:00

London Calling

2010-11-06T07:34:00.003+01:00

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending London’s first Cupcake Camp. For those of you who don’t follow my blog, back in July, I organized the first ever Cupcake Camp Paris; it was interesting to attend the London version as a spectator/baker and see what the event is like from the opposite point of view.

Organized by Daisy Coole, Cupcake Camp London was held at Proud Camden, an art gallery/bar/lounge/restaurant/performance space in the Chalk Farm Stables Market on Halloween. It was a huge space and Daisy and her crew went to town with cupcake girls passing around cupcakes and frosting shots, live music, a raffle for all sorts of cupcake goodies, contests, a cupcake drawing room for kids and much more.

There was an excellent turn-out for this event (over 2,500 cupcakes pledged!) and my kids and I had a blast; the spooky Halloween decorations and similarly themed cupcakes certainly added to the excitement of the day.

I had planned on entering 2 contests but due to a delay with my hotel check-in, arrived at the venue too late to have my entrants considered. Since I was traveling by train, I had limited space to carry cupcakes and so only brought 10 each of my 16H Gouter & Cookie Monster cupcakes.

These were literally snatched up before I had time to arrange them on the platter; I was told that chocolate variety cupcakes were in demand! All in all, I was very happy to discover several new bakers whose cupcakes were gorgeous and delicious and pick up some tips on making the next edition of Cupcake Camp Paris even more successful!

Brava to Daisy and everyone who assisted in organizing this outstanding event; Cupcake Camp London raised over 4000 GBP for the North London Hospice.

Last time I was in London, I sampled several of the local cupcake bakeries including Lola’s and Primrose. Since that time, I have met many other UK bakers online and I made a mission to see at least 1 of them during our short trip there. I chose Love Bakery because I was already impressed by the beautiful cupcake pictures I had seen, and I had it on a good authority (from my friend & fellow cupcake afficianado, Leesa) that I MUST try this place. Boy am I glad I did!

I was a little overcupcaked from Cupcake Camp London and snacking through the stash of treats my kids had collected the night before when we went trick-or-treating – a first for them – but am so happy I made the trip to Love Bakery and the room for their cupcakes. I bought two regular size – Red Velvet and Lemon Curd Marscapone, and two minis – chocolate/chocolate and vanilla/vanilla. I didn’t really get to try the minis cause my daughter gobbled them down but the Red Velvet was heavenly – one of the best Red Velvets I have ever eaten and trust me, I buy one whenever I see them on a cupcake menu, and the Lemon was tangy, fresh and delicious.

The Love Bakery store is adorable with lots of cupcake decorating goodies, jars of vintage candies and other pretty things to look at. The owner, Sam, has published her first cookbook which is available for sale in the store (launch party on 11 November). If you are planning a trip to London or live there and love cupcakes, this is a cupcakery not to be missed! I have already recommended them to a UK wedding Client, and hope I have a chance to get me some more Love soon!

Last but not least, I wanted to publish the results of my two-year business anniversary contest in which I had several cupcake gifts to give away. I very much enjoyed hearing about the “best cupcakes” you have ever eaten. Winners were chosen completely by random using the random number generator at random.org. Without further ado, congratulations to….

- Geni who wins the demi-tablier from Sassy Apron
- Chupivore who wins 12 Sugar Daze cupcakes
- Annick who wins the Meri Meri Cupcake Kit from Made in Cupcake
- Roxane who wins the cupcake earrings from Ma Peste Adoree

Winners, please get in touch with me to claim your prizes at info@sugardazecupcakes.com

In the Photos:
1) Jumpin' Jack Flash cupcake by Sugar Daze
2) Brain Cake by Made with Pink
3) Eyeball cupcakes by Genii Cupcakes
4) Cooke Monster cupcakes by Sugar Daze
5) RIP, ghost and cobweb cupcakes by Swissybuns
6) Dia de los Muertas cupcakes by Belle Bakes
7) Red Velvet Cupcakes by Love Bakery
8) Vanilla Cupckaes by Love Bakery

For more pics of Cupcake Camp London, visit their flickr set here.

Love Bakery, 319 King's Road, SW3 5EP

A Daring Bakers' Challenge : Time to Make the Donuts

2010-10-27T00:01:00.011+02:00

To say I was elated when I saw the October Daring Bakers' challenge: Donuts, would be an understatement. Though I have never made them myself, I've always wanted to and so was able to channel my inner "Fred the Baker" for this one. Time to make the donuts!

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

I decided to go with the classic yeast donut variety from Alton Brown. Making these were a bit of a challenge since I wasn't really sure what the dough was supposed to look and feel like as I worked with. Thanks to one of the other Daring Bakers' write-ups in the forums (thank you Audax!), I knew that the dough might appear to be overly sticky or wet and so I tried to avoid the temptation of adding in too much flour to compensate.

I did end up rolling and cutting the donuts once before frying only to find that they stuck too much to the tabletop, which then forced me to re-kneed (and yes, I admit -- I added some flour!) roll and cut again. I think this may have had a negative effect on the finished product as these donuts were a bit more chewy, compact and dense than I would have liked.

When I had finished cutting the donuts out, I had some left-over dough which I rolled into logs, braided and then shaped into circular form. I was actually thinking of the crullers I used to eat in high school at Niel's Coffee Shop on East 70th Street that were billowy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and covered in the sweetest glaze that melted in your mouth as you bit into it. These were the best of the bunch that I made -- they puffed up nicely when plopped in the oil and were moist, cakey and airy on the inside.

My kids and I went to town on the glazing of these donuts when we were done. I mixed up some simple vanilla and chocolate glazes and dumped an entire bottle of sprinkles in a bowl for a pretty finish. These were so much fun to make and a lot easier than I would have thought. Next time, we'll be sure to try the buttermilk cake donut recipe that Lori also posted.

I made the donuts! You can too -- here's the recipe....
Yeast Doughnuts, by Alton Brown:

Preparation time:
Hands on prep time - 25 minutes
Rising time - 1.5 hours total
Cooking time - 12 minutes

Yield: 20 to 25 doughnuts & 20 to 25 doughnut holes, depending on size (I cut the recipe in half and ended up with about 18 regular size donuts and 15 holes).

Ingredients
Milk 1.5 cup / 360 ml
Vegetable Shortening 1/3 cup / 80 ml / 70 gm / 2.5 oz (can substitute butter, margarine or lard)
Active Dry Yeast 4.5 teaspoon (2 pkgs.) / 22.5 ml / 14 gm / ½ oz
Warm Water 1/3 cup / 80 ml (95°F to 105°F / 35°C to 41°C)
Eggs, Large, beaten 2
White Granulated Sugar ¼ cup / 60 ml / 55 gm / 2 oz
Table Salt 1.5 teaspoon / 7.5 ml / 9 gm / 1/3 oz
Nutmeg, grated 1 tsp. / 5 ml / 6 gm / ¼ oz
All Purpose Flour 4 2/3 cup / 1,120 ml / 650 gm / 23 oz + extra for dusting surface
Canola Oil DEPENDS on size of vessel you are frying in – you want THREE (3) inches of oil (can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying)

Directions:

Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough to melt the shortening. (Make sure the shortening is melted so that it incorporates well into the batter.)
Place the shortening in a bowl and pour warmed milk over. Set aside.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes. It should get foamy. After 5 minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk and shortening mixture, first making sure the milk and shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm.
Add the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and half of the flour. Using the paddle attachment of your mixer (if you have one), combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat until well combined.
Add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well.
Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes (for me this only took about two minutes). If you do not have a dough hook/stand mixer – knead until the dough is smooth and not sticky.
Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/8-inch (9 mm)thick. (Make sure the surface really is well-floured otherwise your doughnuts will stick to the counter).
Cut out dough using a 2 1/2-inch (65 mm) doughnut cutter or pastry ring or drinking glass and using a 7/8-inch (22 mm) ring for the center whole. Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 365 °F/185°C. (I used a wok).
Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side or until golden brown (my doughnuts only took about 30 seconds on each side at this temperature).
Transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes prior to glazing, if desired.

Someone Left the Cake Out in the Rain...

2010-10-24T20:03:00.003+02:00

I am frequently asked if I bake cakes...guess my former name left that in question. Well, the answer is "YES, I do!" and I am quite fond of making them.

I must note a preference for simple cakes -- 2, 3 or 4 layers, covered in a smooth buttercream and decorated with just a few flowers or something equally elegant. I make them in the fashion of what we call "cutting cakes" in the US, and in fact I make a lot of these to top a "piece montee" of cupcakes -- so pretty and makes for a striking effect at an event.

For now, I offer cakes in two sizes:
- The giant cupcake (15-18 servings)
- Layer cakes (20-22 servings)

Cakes can be custom-decorated to perfectly suit the theme of your event, and are available in all the flavors on my cupcake menu.

Don't hesitate to contact me to discuss your cake needs at info@sugardazecupcakes.com Feel free to browse my collection of cakes here.

New Flava Flav: Empire State of Mind

2010-10-17T08:14:00.003+02:00

Finnicky eaters. That's what my kids are. But of an entirely different breed. My son is the really difficult one. When he eats at friends' homes or with my in-laws, I am often asked "Well, what does he like to eat? What should we feed him?" This is one of my most dreaded questions as I simply don't know what to answer. I do have a better idea of what he doesn't like to eat -- the list is long and varied but includes anything pureed, potatoes, lamb and pork, most green vegetables and cupcakes. Yes, you heard right...my son doesn't like cupcakes. I consider him a lost cause.

My daughter on the other hand seems to have her own eating schedule. There isn't anything in particular that I know she doesn't like, there are just some days when she eats and others when she doesn't. It's a bit problematic from a planning standpoint cause inevitably when I buy an extra portion for her she doesn't eat, and if I try to skimp and split a portion of whatever we are eating with her, she ends up cleaning off my plate and hers!

When all else fails though, I find there are 2 foods I can rely on that she will never refuse -- apple compote and cupcakes. That's my girl (big mommy smile)! I started experimenting with various apple cupcake recipes last Fall and never ended up with one I really liked. I think part of the problem was that I was grating my apples too thinly before baking and clearly not using enough. The resulting cupcakes ended up too bland and often not solid enough to hold their structure - think mushy apple pie. With peak apple season here, I decided to try my hand at this again and finally came up with a winning combination! The bonus...my daughter gave these a BIG thumbs up and finished off two yesterday in record time!

I'm adding Empire State of Mind to the Sugar Daze menu -- if you are an apple fan, you most definitely should give them a try; I promise you will not be disappointed. It starts with an apple-walnut cupcake, lightly seasoned with cinnamon and fresh ginger, and topped with a maple-cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Mmm, Mmm Good!

Whatever You Like

2010-10-15T13:11:00.002+02:00

It was two years ago this month that I had my very first paying customer. An order for a kids' Halloween party. I made these spooky sider cupcakes:

I was a bit crushed when the client told me that her French guests didn't know what to make of my cupcakes -- the kids were somewhat scared to eat them, the moms incredulous that they were being offered food that looked like spiders! Then she added however that the American moms ate them up and of course, her kids loved them. And so began my life as a humble cupcake baker in Paris!

I still have the 20 euro bill I was paid with for that order which marked an important turning point in my life. And to celebrate my 2 years in business, I wanted to share something special with the people who have made it all possible.

I have a few prizes to give away as I head into my 3rd year in business. The first comes from Sassy Apron in Arizona. These are definitely not your mom's aprons!

I discovered Sassy Apron this past summer when I was trying to figure out how to outfit my sales staff at Printemps Nation. Lana, the owner and seamstress, is a delight to work with and she is amazingly talented! Not only are her sassy aprons beautiful but they are hand-crafted with the utmost attention to detail and I just love her original designs. I wouldn't think of baking without mine (pictured above) and neither should you! I will be giving away this 100% cotton Sassy Apron half-apron with cute cupcake print from Robert Kaufman's Confections Collection, trimmed with Michael Miller's Clover Dot in Lime to 1 lucky winer:

The next gift comes from a gal who like me, has a thing for cupcakes!

Gaëlle from Ma Peste Adorée here in France makes the most adorable mini food jewelry I have ever seen, including some seriously cute cupcake earrings. Her jewelry is all hand-crafted from Fimo; each piece is unique. 1 lucky winner is getting a pair of cupcake earrings of their choice from Ma Peste Adorée!

I met Ludivine who runs Made in Cupcake, during this past summer's Cupcake Camp. On her site you'll find lots of cupcake recipes, tips, news and other fun goodies. And fabulous news for cupcakes bakers, the Made in Cupcake online boutique, which offers a select assortment of high-end baking supplies with a retro feel, has just opened!

I discovered these cupcake kits while in New York 2 summers ago and am delighted to see them now on this side of the pond! 1 lucky winner is going to get a cupcake kit with the theme of their choice from Made in Cupcake. They are all so adorable -- I'll take one of each please!

Last but not least, this contest would not be complete without real cupcakes....authentic, American-style cupcakes to be exact! I am giving away 1 dozen cupcakes with the theme of your choice to 1 lucky winner. Just let me know about 1 week in advance of when you want them and I'll bake them fresh for you the day of your order.

The contest is open to participants WORLDWIDE. The first 3 prizes will be shipped to the winners; as for the Sugar Daze cupcakes -- sorry, but you'll have to come pick those up yourself in the 17th.

So whaddya gotta do to win? Leave me a comment below telling me about the best cupcake you have ever eaten and what it is that made it so great. Please be sure to mention which prize you'd be interested in winning. Contest is open til 31 October. I'll be picking 4 winners at random and announcing them on 4 November. For an extra entry, Tweet about this giveaway, including the link and my Twitter name (@sugar_daze), and leave a separate comment with a link to the tweet.

Good luck to you all and many thanks for 2 great years of cupcakes!

xxx Cat

PS the name of this post refers to the #1 song on the Billboard charts on the day of my first order -- Whatever You Like by T.I. ( a rather fitting title if you ask me!).

All My Bags are Packed & I'm Ready to Go

2010-10-10T10:50:00.003+02:00

Okay, not really. But my train tickets are purchased and I have RSVPed for London's very first Cupcake Camp! As well as registered as a baker for two of their exciting contests; lord knows what I am thinking considering I will be navigating the Eurostar with 2 kids, a stroller and our luggage sans my other half. My Halloween-inspired entries might just be the scariest looking things once we get there if they survive the journey!

I'm looking forward to sampling some of London's best cupcakes and meeting many of the bakers I correspond with on twitter, facebook and flickr. I'll of course be taking lots of photos to share and picking up any great ideas for Cupcake Camp Paris (part deux!). Will you attend Cupcake Camp London? If so,shoot me a note so I know to be on the lookout for you. Here's the who, what and where from organizer, Daisy Coole......

It is the phenomenon that has taken Paris, New York and Sydney by storm: Cupcake Camp London, London's first cupcake extravaganza, hits town on Sunday, 31st October, 2010!

Hosted at Camden's stylish Proud Galleries, Cupcake Camp London will be a mass-gathering of people who love to indulge in the darling of the baking world - the cupcake. Supported by live bands, competitions, prizes, a Create-Your-Own Cupcake Art room and American-style frosting shots; the focus of the day will be the delicious cupcakes donated by England's wonderful baking community, including major cupcake companies, Primrose Bakery, Ella’s Bakehouse, Crumbs & Doilies and Buttercup Cake Shop. Whether you're a professional cake baker, an enthusiastic amateur, or just someone with a sweet tooth, this event is for you.

Organiser Daisy Coole said: "Bakers are encouraged to bring along their best creations to be judged by a fabulous panel, including the lovely ladies of Primrose Bakery, Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas and vegan goddess Ms. Cupcake. "We also need lots of non-bakers to drop into the event and raise money by eating the best cupcakes our capital city has to offer."

Cupcake Camps have ballooned in popularity since their creation two years ago as a tasty way to raise cash for charity. They have taken place in over 50 cities, attracting anywhere from 250 to 1,000 participants and raise thousands of pounds for good causes.

London's first ever Cupcake Camp will raise money for the North London Hospice, spurred by Daisy's own experience with the 'fantastic community-centered charity'. Daisy, full-time musician and sometime baker, lost her father, Fleet Street journalist, Bob Coole to kidney failure earlier this year. She said: "A serious addiction to baking cupcakes and my connection with the North London Hospice came into my life at the same time. Dad was a patient at the hospice and the nurses were simply amazing.They were caring and supportive to my Dad and my family, offering cups of tea and a shoulder to cry on as we sat with him for up to 24 hours a day. After Dad died, baking was a huge comfort and the physicality of it was very theraputic so I went on a baking frenzy.

"When Dad died I never got to say thank you to our nurses. This is my way."

About the North London Hospice:
The North London Hospice needs at least 16,000 a day to run and has to raise as much as 80 per cent of its budget through donations. It provides in-patient and home-based palliative care, counselling services, respite care and a day activity centre, all of which is completely free of charge.

Cupcake Camp London is sponsored by Ms. Cupcake, Mychelle’s Baketique, Candy Pulse, Caked, Bake Me Happy, Made With Pink and An American Cupcake In London.

Cupcake donors include: Primrose Bakery, Ella’s Bakehouse, Crumbs & Doilies, Buttercup Cake Shop, Bake-a-boo and Clare Ptak of Violet Cakes.

For more information:
Visit www.cupcakecamplondon.co.uk
or email Daisy Coole: cupcakecamplondon@gmail.com

Photo Credits:
Cupcake Camp London poster designed by Christopher Cantrill (top)
Primrose Bakery cupcakes, photo from http://www.operaquarter.co.uk (middle)
Crumbs & Doilies cupcakes, photo from Cupcakes Take the Cake (bottom)

Pour Some Sugar on Me....Introducing the Saturday Sampler

2010-09-29T21:34:00.006+02:00

My pop-up store is now closed at Printemps Nation. Thanks so much to everyone who came by, and especially to those who purchased cupcakes on 25 September - the day of the Odyssea Operation. I donated 100% of the proceeds from my sales last Saturday = just over 500 euros donated to the Institut Gustave Roussy, Europe's leading breast cancer research and treatment center!

For those who are interested in buying some cupcakes without the usual 1 dozen minimum and/or want to try a few different flavors at a time, I'm happy to introduce the the Saturday Sampler which will be available at least one weekend per month.

The box of 5 assorted flavors is 17,00 euros. On 16 October, you'll receive the following flavors:

- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (red velvet cupcake, Philadelphia cream cheese frosting)
- Caramel Dolce (vanilla cupcake, salted caramel buttercream)
- You Were Mint for Me (white chocolate chunk cupcake, mint buttercream)
- Rogue (vanilla cupcake, chocolate buttercream)
- Touch Me Tease Me (Malteser cupcake with malted milk buttercream)

To reserve your sampler, send an email with your name, a phone number where you can be reached and the number of samplers you'd like to order to info@sugardazecupcakes.com. Your sampler can be picked up in the 17th on 16 October either between 10H-11H30 or 14H30-16H.

The Sweetest Thing : A Daring Bakers' Challenge

2010-09-27T15:56:00.000+02:00

I've been a Daring Baker for almost 2 years now and have loved so many of the challenges. We've made things from scratch I would have never dared to try on my own, and I have discovered new recipes for some of my standard desserts which are so much better than what I had traditionally been making. This month's challenge, basic sugar cookies, falls into the latter camp. For years, I have given sugar cookies at Christmas as teacher gifts, to our neighbors, etc. and I thought I had an excellent recipe for them. That is until I tried these which come from Peggy Porschen (who by the way I am dying to take a Master Cake Decorating Class with if anyone wants to sponsor me to the tune of 973 GBP!).

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

These were so much fun to make; if I had the time, I would have spent hours on different shapes and ways of decorating them. Unfortunately, with my pop-up store at Printemps this month, I have had very little free time and so I actually made these as cupcake toppers, which was a little bonus for those of you who had a chance to taste them.

I made a batch of heart-shaped cookies and decorated half with yellow royal icing and a checkerboard band which was my take on a NYC Checker Cab (the theme at Printemps is I Love New York!).

For the second half of the cookies, I covered them in white royal icing and before they dried, made heart decorations with hot pink royal icing and Wilton Sparkle Gel. I loved how these turned out; the sparkle gel looked like stained glass inserts on the cookies. I used these as toppers for some of the 150 cupcakes I donated to their breast cancer research charity event.

I've seen some of the amazing cookies the Daring Bakers made this month and you really should check them out. To make your own, here's the recipe...

Basic Sugar Cookies:
Makes Approximately 36x 10cm / 4" Cookies

200g / 7oz / ½ cup + 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
400g / 14oz / 3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose / Plain Flour
200g / 7oz / 1 cup Caster Sugar / Superfine Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
5ml / 1 tsp Vanilla Extract / Or seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Directions
- Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavourings you’re using. Beat until just becoming
creamy in texture.
- Tip: Don’t over mix otherwise you’ll incorporate too much air and the cookies will spread during
baking, losing their shape.
- Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms.
- Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces.
- Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5mm/1/5 inch (0.2 inch)
- Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins.
- Tip: Recipes commonly just wrap the whole ball of dough in clingwrap and then refrigerate it for an
hour or overnight, but by rolling the dough between parchment, this shortens the chilling time and
then it’s also been rolled out while still soft making it easier and quicker.
- Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface.
- Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife.
- Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour.
- Tip: It’s very important you chill them again otherwise they’ll spread while baking.
- Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up.
- Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan Assisted) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
- Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies.
- Tip: Bake same sized cookies together otherwise mixing smaller with larger cookies could result in
some cookies being baked before others are done.
- Tip: Rotate baking sheets half way through baking if your oven bakes unevenly.
- Leave to cool on cooling racks.
- Once completely cooled, decorate as desired.
- Tip: If wrapped in tinfoil/cling wrap or kept in airtight containers in a cool place, un-decorated
cookies can last up to a month.

Royal Icing:
315g – 375g / 11oz – 13oz / 2½ - 3 cups Icing / Confectioner’s / Powdered Sugar, unsifted
2 Large Egg Whites
10ml / 2 tsp Lemon Juice
5ml / 1 tsp Almond Extract, optional (I used Vanilla Extract)

Directions

- Beat egg whites with lemon juice until combined.
- Tip: It’s important that the bowls/spoons/spatulas and beaters you use are thoroughly cleaned and
grease free.
- Sift the icing sugar to remove lumps and add it to the egg whites.
- Tip: I’ve listed 2 amounts of icing sugar, the lesser amount is good for a flooding consistency, and the larger amount is for outlining, but you can add even more for a much thicker consistency good for writing. If you add too much icing sugar or would like to make a thinner consistency, add very small amounts of water, a few drops at a time, until you reach the consistency you need.
- Beat on low until combined and smooth.
- Use immediately or keep in an airtight container.
- Tip: Royal Icing starts to harden as soon as it’s in contact with air so make sure to cover containers with plastic wrap while not in use.

Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now

2010-09-25T07:32:00.006+02:00

Today Printemps Nation unveils its Odyssea Boutique in conjunction with the walks/runs that will happen across France next Sunday in support of breast cancer. All items in the boutique will be pink and 100% proceeds of sales will be donated to the Institut Gustave Roussy, Europe's leading breast cancer research and treatment center.

Printemps wanted to purchase cupcakes from me for the event but I have been thinking for a while now of how I could make my little business more charitable. I am proud to announce that I will be donating 150 cupcakes today to the Odyssea boutique at Printemps (I would have made more but have been busy making 250 cupcakes for a wedding this morning!). Every centime from my sales will go to l'Institut Gustave Roussy. Please come by and show your support by purchasing one of my "Cupcakes with a Cause" today; priced at 3,50 each, they will be available in boxes of 1, 2 and 6 cupcakes.

Candy Candy Candy I Can't Let You Go....

2010-09-20T18:32:00.001+02:00

Some are born with silver spoons; I think I was born with a candy-coated one. I have had a sweet tooth for as long as I can remember. Some of my best childhood memories involve some sweet or another. I've always been preferential to chocolate though caramel does it for me too. A trip to NY would not be complete without a stop at Dylan's Candy Bar, and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (with Gene Wilder) is on my list of favorite movies. I've daydreamed about candy-flavored wallpaper I could lick to my heart's content and a never-ending gobstopper filled with endless tastes and colors. Halloween has long been one of my favorite holidays. And I can remember saving my allowance as a child to buy Pixie Stix and wax lips from our local newspaper stand.

When I was little, I went to camp in Maine. The camp director's wife would often tell stories about a good witch who lived in the woods named Varna (this was long before the Blair Witch Project -- had I seen that, you can bet I would have never stepped foot out of Manhattan again!). Legend had it that Varna would do good deeds for all the good campers and if they were very very good, she might leave you a piece of candy. It was Varna who would leave a SkyBar (anyone remember those?) under your pillow if you lost a tooth while at camp and yes, I do admit to twisting and wiggling many loose teeth during those summer months.

One of the most memorable and secretive traditions at my camp (and I hope I am not spoiling this in case the tradition lives on) was Varna's Tree. This involved the campers from the most senior bunk decorating a tree in the middle of the woods in gold spray paint and candy...yes, candy! Late that night, they would creep into the youngest kids' bunk and lead them out into the woods. Once there, they were told that Varna had left the tree because they had been so good and as long as they kept it a secret, the tree would be there for them whenever they wanted candy (which was of course forbidden at camp). As soon as the little ones were led back to bed, the older kids would return to the tree, dismantle it and remove the evidence.

To this day, I can actually remember being woken from my sleep one night when I was about 6 years old and being lead out into the woods while still half-asleep. And I can completely recall the surprise and delight I felt when I saw the tree and gathered up some candy. Some of my friends and I returned the next day and found a few stray gold leaves but no tree. We were pissed as hell and didn't talk to one of the other girls in the cabin for about a week, convinced that she had spilled the beans. I also remember about 10 years later, when I was in the oldest cabin and the camp director's wife came to us one night to help her with that year's tree set-up. It was a fun night and of course the best part was we got to eat all the left-over "evidence" afterwards!

Many of my US friends will tell you that I often ring them up and ask them to send me care packages of impossible to find candies here in France. Tops on my list? Mike & Ike's Hot Tamales, atomic fireballs, Reese's pieces, SweeTarts, candy corn, candy canes, Peeps and Cadbury eggs. Wanna get on my good side? Send me some...puh-leese!

My cupcake menu actually includes versions of some of my favorite candies: Peanut butter cups, Rolos, After Eight, etc. and in the past year, I have paid homage to some of my favorite candy bars by recreating cupcakes around them like my Twix Hi Hats or Snickers cupcakes. My newest menu addition is the "Touch Me Tease Me" cupcake which is essentially a Malteser (or Whopper for those in the US) in cupcake form. I have been playing around with Nigella Lawson's recipe for the better part of a year, and finally have come up with an adaptation that I really like. I think my fans must like them too cause I put them out for sale last week at the pop-up store, and they were gone in about an hour!

Now I can't tell you the exact changes I have made to this recipe cause then I might have to kill you! But prepared exactly as is, Nigella's gets two thumbs up from me. I'll give you a hint as to the changes I made...it just didn't taste Malteser enough to me! Here's how you can make these at home:

Chocolate Malteser Cake
From "Feast", Nigella Lawson (2004)

Makes about 24 cupcakes
150g soft brown sugar (muscavado sugar is best for flavour)
100g caster sugar
3 large eggs
175ml milk
15g unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Horlicks powder
175g plain flour
25g cocoa, sieved
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

For the icing and decoration
250g icing sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa
45g Horlicks
125g soft unsalted butter
2 tablespoons boiling water
2 x 37g packets Maltesers

Take whatever you need out of the fridge so that all the ingredients can come to room temperature (though it's not so crucial here, since you're heating the milk and butter and whisking the eggs).

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3/170C. Butter and line two 12-hole cupcake tins.

Whisk together the sugars and eggs until light and frothy. Heat the milk, butter and Horlicks powder in a small saucepan until the butter has melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling. Beat the milk mixture into the eggs a little at a time. Fold in the dry ingredients thoroughly. Divide the cake batter evenly between the two tins and bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes, by which time the cakes should have risen and will spring back when pressed gently. Let them cool on a rack for about 5-10 minutes and then turn lift out of their tins.

Once the cupcakes are cold, you can get on with the icing. Put the icing sugar, cocoa and Horlicks in a processor and blitz to remove all lumps. Add the butter and process again. Stop, scrape down, and start again, pouring the boiling water down the funnel with the motor running until you have a smooth buttercream.

Spread on top of cupcakes or use a pastry bag and tip to make pretty swirls. Stud the top of each cupcakes with a few Maltesers or crush them leaving large pieces and sprinkle on top. Eat, enjoy!

You're a Native New Yorker

2010-09-08T07:46:00.002+02:00

Printemps is celebrating la rentree New York-style with lots of fun and unique Big Apple-related offerings on tap in their various stores. This native New Yorker is delighted to be a part of the event and will have a pop-up store throughout the month of September at their Nation location.

Starting tomorrow, 9 September, you will find Sugar Daze on the ground floor (RDC) every Thursday, Friday & Saturday through the 30th. We'll be open from 1PM til closing (or til we run out of cupcakes -- whichever happens first!). I'll be there on Saturdays, and Meg will be happy to welcome you on Thursdays & Fridays. Cupcakes will be sold individually or in boxes of 2.

We'll have a rotating assortment of 4-5 different flavors per day including the September Flavor of the Month: Fields of Joy. If you want to find out what we'll be selling each day (and when/if we run out of cupcakes), follow me on twitter at @sugar_daze.

Hope to see some of you there!

Printemps Nation
21-25 Cours de Vincennes
75020 Paris - France
Tél. : 01 43 71 12 41

Related Articles:
Lost in Cheeseland - Bon Plan: Printemps Loves New York!
Your Je Ne Sai Quoi - Weekend Plan : Sugar Daze at Printemps!
Cupcakes Take the Cake - Cupcake Motivation: A Peek Inside the Transformation of Little Miss Cupcake to Sugar Daze

New Flava Flav: Fields of Joy

2010-09-05T11:50:00.000+02:00

Welcome back! This month, I'm showcasing a delicious flavor combo of dark chocolate cupcake with a pistachio-almond buttercream, drizzled with chocolate and topped with a home-made chocolate heart. The flavor was inspired by Joy C., a pastry student in the UK, who is a fan on my Facebook page. Thanks Joy! Be sure to give me a shout when you are in Paris so you can come collect a box of Fields of Joy courtesy of Sugar Daze!

We'll have this for sale every weekend during a tour at Printemps Nation in September. Hope to see you there!

I Can Change My Mold

2010-09-02T20:19:00.000+02:00

So many of you have written in recent months for an update on my sob story concerning the new Paris cupcakery who trademarked & opened shop with a name almost identical to Little Miss Cupcake (a name I have been using since 2008)....Here's Part 2 and a Happy Ending!

When I last wrote I described my efforts to settle this amicably. Whereby the CopyCat sicced her lawyer on me. At this point, I felt I had no choice but to file an opposition with the INPI, France's equivalent of the Trademark Office. My lawyer explained this was likely a lost cause but a mandatory first step if I wanted to fight this. Why? A search of the INPI online database shows not a single case where a non-trademarked brand (that would be me) successfully blocked a trademark filing of a similarly named company. But I understood it had to be done.

So it was no surprise when I received the official reply from the INPI stating I had failed to show evidence that Little Miss Cupcake is a well-known name among the Parisian cupcake eating public. Despite the fact that I submitted over 250 pages of press articles naming Little Miss Cupcake as a pioneer and one of the more established cupcake bakers on the market; order invoices from well-known corporate clients; visitor statistics from my blog and other social media; emails from individuals and corporations interested in partnering with me; my ownership of the domain names, etc. In their reply they stated that only proved that Little Miss Cupcake exists but not as a trademarked brand; that I am written about frequently; that I get lots of orders; that I have a lot of people online who are interested in me and my company news as well as people interested in doing business with my company. BUT this fails to prove that Little Miss Cupcake is a brand that people know of. I can’t say I follow this logic at all but then I guess that is what bureaucracy is all about.

As infuriated and depressed this news left me I realized I had to accept the ruling and move on. My lawyer laid out my options : 1) keep my head down and co-exist in the market with CopyCat, 2) take CopyCat to court, 3) wait to see if CopyCat came after me for "counterfeiting" her brand (can you imagine?), or 4) proactively change my name. My lawyer felt strongly about option #2 and mapped out the road ahead. But as I listened to her drone on about the process, I wasn't sure I was ready for a long, drawn-out, expensive court battle. Preparing my dossier for the INPI had been difficult enough and took me weeks to pull together. The prospect of living with this for another year, sapping my energies and leaving me in a constant state of stress just wasn't an option for me. So for the short-term, I decided to take my time and weigh my options before moving forward. Besides, I was so busy before the summer and happily distracted doing what I love doing: baking, rather than focusing on this ugly affair.

And then the emails and blog comments started rolling in.

People who had visited CopyCat's shop thinking she was me wrote to accuse me of photo-shopping or stealing the pictures on my blog because what they had seen in "my" shop didn't look anything like what was advertised online. Or that I was a hack - after a visit to "my" shop, they decided I must be paying people to write glowing reviews about me because my cupcakes tasted like (expletive removed!). One woman went so far as to tell me I should be ashamed of being an American and to sell my products as “cupcakes” was an insult to the US! F*ck me! All this time I was steamed that CopyCat was going to profit from my reputation, it never even occurred to me that she could ruin it, and man did that piss me off. After the 40th or so email of this type (and my god were some of these people nasty!), I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands.

I don’t want to stagnate in this situation – it’s tiring, it’s frustrating and I don't like putting negative energy out there. So I've decided it's time to make a break with the past. It's the only way I can safeguard what I have worked so hard to build. I'll be slowly phasing out Little Miss Cupcake as the "official" name of my cupcake entreprise these next few weeks. She served me well, and I'll always carry a piece of her with me, but it's time to put some distance between myself and CopyCat.

Introducing...drum roll please...Sugar Daze! I may have a new name but I remain your best Paris source for delicious, fresh-baked American-style cupcakes! And most importantly, I have filed for the trademark. Help me spread the word!

I've learned some very painful but valuable lessons about running a business these past few months. I'm still in shock over French policies regarding trademarks and rights of use. And disappointed that I am the one who has to pay so dearly in a situation where I truly believe I was wronged. All because I made the rookie mistake of not trademarking my business name! But I am sick of feeling angry and bitter. Time to turn the page on this chapter and move on. Bye Bye Little Miss Cupcake, and HELLO Sugar Daze!

Thanks to all of you who have stood by me in these troubling times. Your friendship and support have meant more to me than you will ever know! And thanks to Aleberry Creative for designing my funky new logo!

Contact: info@sugardazecupcakes.com
Get Sugar Dazed: www.sugardazecupcakes.com

Turn and Face the Strange Ch-ch-changes

2010-08-29T10:41:00.001+02:00

It's hard to believe that at this time least year, I was in NY attending my best friend from childhood's wedding (a big congratulations to J & M who are celebrating their first anniversary!). It doesn't feel like it was so long ago and yet so much seems to have changed over the past year.

Here in France, the back-to-school period, better known as la rentree, is viewed akin to New Year's Day, it's a time of rebirth and new beginnings. And we'll be marking this rentree with lots of changes -- on a personal level, I'll be sending my youngest off to school; on a professional level, I am getting ready to unveil a new look and a new name. As many of you are aware, this past year has been filled with many challenges and frustrations due to the CopyCat cupcakery yet I am happy to say that I will soon be closing that chapter of my life. More on that later....

In writing this post, I looked into familiar quotes about change. This one from Helen Keller particularly resonated with me: When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.

For all of you caught up in the changes (happy or sad) this rentree brings, I wish you courage! On a final note, the pictures in this post today feature the cake and cupcakes I prepared for a wedding (a big life change!) in Normandie this weekend. Wishing the happy couple the best of luck as they embark on their new life together.